Chapter 21 - A Chilling Final Warning Left At The Entrance
The armored convoy pulled up to the charred, overgrown ruins of the Pacific Palisades cliffside mansion under a moonless sky.
The ocean waves crashed violently against the jagged rocks far below, echoing like rolling thunder across the dark coastal landscape.
Ethan stepped out of the vehicle first, his boots crunching against the ash and shattered stone of his former home.
He walked toward the center of the old courtyard where a single, glowing lantern sat resting on a concrete pillar.
Attached to the handle of the lantern was a small black envelope bearing no postage stamp or return address.
Ethan approached cautiously, drawing his sidearm before tearing open the black paper seal with his free hand.
Inside lay a single photograph showing Clara tied to a chair inside an underground bunker beneath the cliff ruins.
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Scrawled across the back of the photograph in bold red ink was a final, chilling message that made his blood run cold:
“You walked into the trap alone, Ethan... now watch your entire world burn twice.”
