Chapter 4 - The Silent Runaway
The heavy rain lashed against the mansion's massive windows as Alexander stared in horror at the piece of paper.
The paper was covered in carefully drawn hand gestures representing American Sign Language.
It was a final message from his son, but Alexander could not decipher a single symbol.
Panic gripped the billionaire's chest as he realized his deaf son was wandering alone in a violent storm with a broken leg.
He immediately mobilized his entire security force, ordering them to search every inch of the twenty-acre estate.
Flashlights pierced the darkness, and men shouted Matthew's name into the howling wind.
But Alexander quickly realized the horrific irony of the desperate situation.
His men could shout all night long, but Matthew would never hear them calling his name.
Alexander's massive tech empire, his billions of dollars, and his political influence were completely worthless right now.
He stared at the ASL note in his trembling hands, realizing there was only one person in the world who could translate it.
He sprinted to his luxury SUV and drove recklessly through the storm toward the cheap motel where Clara and Lucy had relocated.
He pounded furiously on the peeling wooden door of the motel room until Clara finally opened it.
She looked at the drenched billionaire with absolute shock and rising anger.
Alexander didn't care about his pride anymore; he dropped completely to his knees on the dirty concrete walkway.
He held up the crumpled piece of paper and begged Lucy to tell him where his son had gone.
Lucy looked at the hand-drawn symbols, and all the color instantly drained from her small face.
She translated the signs aloud, her voice shaking with absolute terror.
Matthew had written that he was going to the only place where he ever felt his mother's presence.
Alexander's blood ran cold as the devastating realization hit him like a physical blow.
Matthew was heading straight for the exact stretch of Interstate 84 where the fatal car crash had occurred three years ago.
It was a treacherous, winding highway located five miles away, currently slick with heavy rain and completely swallowed by darkness.
Alexander grabbed Lucy's hand, begging her to come with him because he needed her to communicate with Matthew.
They jumped into the powerful SUV and sped dangerously toward the deadly highway.
The windshield wipers fought a losing battle against the torrential downpour as they scanned the dark roads.
Suddenly, the SUV's bright headlights caught a small, soaked figure limping along the narrow shoulder of the highway.
It was Matthew, dragging his cast and completely drenched, standing dangerously close to the high-speed traffic.
Alexander slammed on the brakes, throwing the vehicle into park before it had even fully stopped.
But as Alexander leaped out into the storm, a massive eighteen-wheeler truck lost traction on the wet asphalt.
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The massive truck violently hydroplaned, its heavy trailer swinging out of control directly toward the spot where Matthew was standing.
Matthew's back was turned, entirely unable to hear the deafening screech of the massive tires hurtling toward him.
