Chapter 7: Into the Wilderness
The dense underbrush tore at Emily’s face and arms as she sprinted blindly through the Sterling estate's private timberland. Her beige button-down shirt caught on low-hanging branches, ripping the fabric near her shoulder, but she didn't care. Adrenaline surged through her veins, masking the throbbing pain in her bruised cheek and the stinging cuts from the shattered car window. Behind her, the angry shouts of Marcus and Daniel faded into the background, swallowed by the rustle of pine needles and the distant, growing wail of approaching sirens.
She needed to reach the old perimeter fence bordering the state highway. If she could cross over into public property before the Sterling security guards caught her scent, she might actually survive long enough to meet the state troopers David had dispatched.
Her breath came in ragged, burning gasps. Her legs felt heavy and uncooperative, protesting every uneven step on the damp forest floor. She pushed harder, ducking beneath a thick canopy of cedar trees, her eyes scanning the tree line for the rusted iron mesh of the property boundary.
Suddenly, the crackle of a dry twig to her left froze her in her tracks.
Emily dropped low behind a thick fern bush, holding her breath, pressing her hand tightly over her mouth to muffle the sound of her heavy breathing. Through the green fronds, she saw a figure moving slowly through the trees. It wasn't Marcus or the aggressive security guards. It was Daniel.
He was walking alone, his dark polo shirt blending into the shadows of the timberland. He didn't look angry; he looked utterly defeated, his shoulders slumped as he scanned the forest floor, calling out in a low, hesitant voice.
“Emily? Emily, where are you?” Daniel called out, his tone lacking any malice. “Please... just come out. Mother is furious. If Marcus finds you before I do, he won't hesitate to hurt you worse.”
Emily crouched lower, her heart hammering against her ribs. Was this a trap? Was Daniel playing the good cop to draw her out so Marcus could ambush her? Or was there genuinely a shred of decency left in the man she had married three years ago?
Arthur’s final words echoed in her mind: Daniel’s first wife did not die in an accident. Daniel hadn't pulled the trigger or tampered with the brakes himself, perhaps, but he had stood by and let it happen. He had benefited from the silence, inherited the wealth, and worn the mask of compliance while innocent women were silenced to protect the family name. He was just as guilty as his mother and brother.
She decided not to answer. She waited in absolute silence, watching through the leaves as Daniel walked past her hiding spot, his footsteps crunching softly on the autumn leaves until he disappeared deeper into the woods.
Once his footsteps faded entirely, Emily stood up from the ferns and resumed her sprint toward the perimeter fence. Ten minutes later, the rusted chain-link barrier loomed ahead through the trees. Beyond it, she could see the asphalt of the state highway and the flashing red and blue lights of a parked state trooper cruiser.
A wave of intense relief washed over her. She had made it.
She reached the fence, grabbed the cold metal links, and began to climb over, her boots searching desperately for a secure foothold on the rusty wire.
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“Going somewhere, sister-in-law?” a cold voice purred from directly behind her.
Emily froze on the fence, her blood running completely cold. She slowly turned her head to look down. Marcus was standing right below her, holding a heavy hunting rifle, a sickening, triumphant grin plastered across his face.
