Chapter 8 - The Edge of the Cliff
Sarah fought through the blinding pain in her head and scrambled back to her feet.
She could hear Leo crying somewhere outside in the heavy, relentless rain.
She grabbed the dropped flashlight and ran out the back door of the mansion.
The sprawling estate bordered a dangerous, rocky cliff that dropped hundreds of feet into a raging river.
Sarah desperately followed the fresh, muddy footprints leading deep into the dark woods.
Suddenly, the bright headlights of a car illuminated the wet trees.
Ethan had returned and was driving his heavy SUV wildly across the wet grass.
He slammed the brakes, jumped out of the car, and saw Sarah running through the storm.
"He took my son!" Ethan yelled over the roaring sound of the thunder.
"Marcus is alive, and he is heading straight for the river!" Sarah yelled back.
They sprinted together through the thick, wet branches of the dark forest.
They finally broke through the tree line and reached the jagged edge of the cliff.
Marcus was standing inches from the deadly drop, holding the crying infant over the dark abyss.
"Stop right there, Ethan, or I drop him!" Marcus shouted into the violent storm.
Ethan dropped to his knees in the cold mud, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"Take all the money, Marcus, just please give me back my boy," Ethan pleaded.
Marcus laughed a bitter, echoing laugh that sounded completely insane.
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"You still do not understand the great joke, little brother," Marcus sneered.
"That crying baby does not even belong to you."
