The Crash

The embankment was steep and slick with mud, a treacherous slide into the unknown. Iris scrambled up, digging her fingers into the earth, her broken ankle a constant, screaming passenger. Branches whipped her face, leaving stinging welts, but she pushed through, driven by a single, burning thought: *He can’t get away.*

She reached the top and stumbled into the treeline. The woods were dense, a wall of black pine and shadow. But the undergrowth was trampled, a clear path of destruction left by a man running for his life.

She followed the sound. Crashing. Grunting. The heavy, desperate breath of a man who knew the walls were closing in.

"Julian!" she screamed. "It's over!"

He didn't stop.

She ran faster, ignoring the pain, ignoring the exhaustion. The ground sloped downward, leading toward the river that bordered the estate.

She burst into a small clearing. And there he was.

Julian was on his knees by the riverbank, fumbling with something in the mud. A small boat, tied to a rotting post. An old dinghy, hidden for years.

He was trying to untie the knot, but his broken wrist made his fingers clumsy. He cursed, sawing at the rope with a pocketknife.

"Stop!" Iris shouted, stepping into the clearing.

Julian looked up. His face was a mask of mud and blood, his eyes wild. He saw her, and for a second, she thought he would surrender.

But then he saw that she was unarmed.

He stood up, abandoning the boat. He still had the knife.

"You should have stayed in the van," he rasped, stepping toward her.

"The police are coming," Iris said, backing away. "You can hear them."

The sirens were louder now, a cacophony of wails echoing through the valley.

"They'll never find me," Julian said. "I know these woods. I know the caves. I can disappear."

"Like Elias?" Iris asked. "Like Sarah?"

Julian flinched. "Sarah was an accident! She surprised me! I didn't mean to hit her so hard!"

"But you meant to hide her," Iris said. "And you meant to frame Elias. That wasn't an accident, Julian. That was a choice."

"It was survival!" he roared, lunging at her.

Iris dodged, but her bad leg gave way. She fell, sprawling in the mud.

Julian was on her instantly. He pinned her down, the knife glinting in the moonlight.

"I built this family!" he screamed, spit flying from his lips. "I saved it from ruin! And I won't let you destroy it!"

He raised the knife.

Iris grabbed his wrist—the broken one.

She squeezed.

Julian howled in agony. The knife dropped from his hand.

Iris rolled, throwing him off. She scrambled for the knife, but Julian kicked it away.

He grabbed her ankle—the injured one—and twisted.

Iris screamed, white light exploding behind her eyes.

"You little..." Julian snarled, crawling toward her.

But then, a light cut through the trees. A spotlight, sweeping across the clearing.

"Freeze! Police!"

Julian froze. He looked up at the ridge. Figures were moving through the trees, silhouettes against the glare.

He looked at Iris. He looked at the river.

The current was fast, swollen with rain. It was black and cold and deadly.

"I won't go back in a cage," he whispered.

He stood up. He ran for the water.

"No!" Iris shouted.

Julian jumped.

He hit the water with a splash. The current grabbed him instantly, pulling him under. He surfaced once, gasping, his arms flailing.

Then he was gone.

Iris dragged herself to the bank. She scanned the dark water, searching for a head, a hand, anything.

Nothing.

Just the rushing sound of the river, carrying its secrets to the sea.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Then, the sound of sirens. Marcus had called the police.