Chapter 11 - The Cabin in the Woods
The two-mile trek through the freezing mud felt like an eternity. By the time they reached Silas's beaten-up SUV hidden in the brush, Elise was completely exhausted, and Silas was barely conscious.
Julian loaded them into the vehicle and took the wheel. He didn't turn on the headlights, navigating the dirt roads by the pale moonlight to avoid detection.
"Where are we going?" Elise asked from the backseat, pressing a towel to Silas's wound.
"My family owns an old hunting cabin fifty miles north," Julian said, his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. "It's off the grid. No cameras, no Wi-Fi. Not even Marcus knows about it. We can lay low and patch him up."
They arrived at the cabin just as dawn began to break. The small wooden structure was isolated, surrounded by towering pines. Julian kicked the door open and carried Silas inside, laying him on the dusty sofa.
Elise immediately went into survival mode. She boiled water on the ancient wood-burning stove and tore up bedsheets for bandages. Despite her own exhaustion, she worked tirelessly to stop Silas's bleeding.
"You're a tough girl," Silas muttered, wincing as Elise applied pressure to the gunshot wound. "Julian picked a fighter."
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Julian stood by the window, watching the tree line. "We can't hide forever. Marcus thinks we're dead in the woods. Victoria will realize soon enough that we slipped the net."
"Then we don't hide," Elise said suddenly, her voice hardening. She stood up, her hands covered in Silas's blood. "I am tired of running, Julian. I am tired of being the victim. We need to trap them."
