Chapter 12 - Running through the freezing pine forest under the moonlight a desperate fugitive fights for his family's ultimate survival tonight.
Frost crunched beneath Julian’s tactical boots as he sprinted through the dense, snow-dusted pine forest.
His breath plumed into white clouds in the freezing mountain air, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Behind him, flashlight beams swept erratically through the dark canopy as the mercenaries hunted for him.
"He went toward the ridge! Cut off his escape route down the canyon trail!" Viktor Vance shouted over the radio.
Julian ducked behind a massive boulder, raising his rifle as two armed operatives closed in on his position.
He waited until they were within ten paces before stepping out from the shadows with lethal speed.
A single well-placed strike neutralized the first operative, while his rifle butt dropped the second instantly.
Julian stripped their encrypted radios and spare ammunition magazines, utilizing their gear against them.
He tapped into their tactical frequency, listening to Viktor Vance coordinate the remaining search teams.
"The target is heading toward the secondary extraction point near the old logging bridge," Viktor broadcasted.
Julian smirked in the dark, whispering his own counter-strategy into the captured radio handset.
"Viktor... you're hunting the wrong Sterling brother," Julian whispered into the comms with chilling calm.
A momentary silence echoed over the radio frequency before Viktor cursed loudly in frustration.
"Flush him out of the woods and burn the lodge to the ground!" Viktor screamed in absolute rage.
Julian’s blood ran cold at the mention of burning the lodge where Elena and Lily were hiding.
He turned and sprinted back toward the cabin with superhuman speed, pushing his body to absolute limits.
Through the trees, he saw orange flames licking against the wooden walls of the rustic mountain retreat.
The mercenaries had tossed incendiary grenades through the shattered windows to destroy all evidence.
May you like
Julian charged out of the tree line like a vengeful spirit, raising his rifle to settle the final score.
---
Related Stories
