Chapter 5 - The Poisoned Offer
My heart hammered aggressively against my ribs as the poison began to take full effect.
Black spots danced rapidly across my vision.
My fingers felt entirely numb as I clutched Noah against my chest.
We were hidden under the massive tree roots, completely surrounded by absolute darkness.
I could hear Daniel and the woman thrashing through the brush at the top of the ravine.
Daniel was screaming my name, his voice echoing eerily through the silent woods.
He yelled that running was completely pointless because we were already dead.
He announced that he was holding a metal briefcase containing the only vials of the antidote.
He promised to give Noah the cure if I came out and signed a specific legal document.
The document was a full confession claiming I had orchestrated his massive corporate embezzlement scheme.
He needed a dead scapegoat to take the fall for the millions he had stolen from his firm.
I looked down at my son, whose lips were turning a terrifying shade of blue.
I did not care about the money, the house, or my own reputation.
I only cared about saving my child.
I kissed Noah's forehead and crawled out from under the roots.
I stood up on trembling legs and shouted to Daniel that I accepted his deal.
Flashlight beams immediately snapped onto my face, blinding me in the dark.
Daniel slid down the muddy ravine, holding a piece of paper and a pen.
He shoved the paper against a tree trunk and ordered me to sign my name.
I snatched the pen and scribbled my signature with shaking hands.
I demanded the antidote immediately.
Daniel smiled, folded the paper, and put it securely into his jacket pocket.
He opened the metal briefcase, revealing two small glass vials filled with a glowing blue liquid.
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He took both vials out and deliberately dropped them onto a large rock.
He crushed the fragile glass under the heel of his heavy boot.
