Chapter 4 - The Ghost in the Woods
The blinding beam of the flashlight completely erased my vision.
I did not wait to see the officer draw his weapon.
I spun around, my bare feet slipping slightly on the polished hardwood, and sprinted back toward the front door.
"Hey, stop right there!" the corrupt officer shouted, his heavy boots pounding against the floor behind me.
I burst through the front door and scrambled down the porch steps, ignoring the sharp gravel cutting into my soles.
I darted across the street and threw myself into the dense, overgrown woods that bordered our neighborhood.
Branches whipped against my face and thorny bushes tore at the oversized medical coat I was wearing.
I could hear the officer crashing through the brush behind me, cursing loudly in the darkness.
I frantically searched for a place to hide, but the moonlight barely penetrated the thick canopy of leaves.
My lungs burned for oxygen, and the injuries from Edric's beating made every single step feel like pure agony.
Suddenly, I tripped over an exposed tree root and tumbled hard into the damp soil.
I scrambled to my hands and knees, but the sweeping beam of the officer's flashlight caught my legs.
"I found her!" the officer yelled into his radio, his heavy footsteps rapidly closing the distance.
I tried to stand up, but a strong hand clamped firmly over my mouth.
An arm wrapped tightly around my waist and violently yanked me backward into a deep, hidden trench beneath a fallen oak tree.
I thrashed against the attacker, convinced that Edric had somehow escaped and found me.
"Quiet, Faye, it is me," a deep, familiar voice whispered directly into my ear.
The hand slowly withdrew from my mouth, and I turned to see the rugged, weathered face of Uncle Alan.
I had not seen him in nearly three years.
He placed a finger to his lips as the corrupt officer stomped right past our hiding spot, his flashlight illuminating the trees just inches above our heads.
We waited in absolute silence until the crunching footsteps completely faded into the distance.
I threw my arms around Uncle Alan, finally allowing the tears of terror to fall down my cheeks.
"How did you know I was here?" I choked out, holding onto his jacket like a lifeline.
Alan's expression turned incredibly dark, and he pulled a specialized tracking device from his pocket.
"I never stopped watching you girls, Faye," he explained softly.
"I had to stay away because your mother legally threatened to have me arrested for stalking."
I shook my head in confusion, struggling to understand why my mother would push away the only person our father trusted.
"Your father did not die in a random car accident, Faye," Alan revealed, his voice filled with suppressed rage.
"Your mother cut the brake lines of his car because she found out he was changing the beneficiary of his life insurance."
My entire world stopped spinning as the horrifying truth finally clicked into place.
"We have to get back to the hospital immediately," Alan urged, pulling me to my feet.
"Your mother is not running away from the police."
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Alan looked toward the city skyline, his jaw clenched incredibly tight.
"She is going to the hospital to finish what she started with Chloe."
