Chapter 98

Chapter 98
Lila did not stop running until her legs burned and her breath felt like it was tearing through her chest. The night air tasted like metal and fear, and every shadow on the street felt like it was watching her. The others were right behind her, their footsteps hitting the pavement in a shaky rhythm that reminded her how close they had come to being caught.

Nate grabbed her hand once they reached the old bus stop at the end of the block. The streetlights flickered above them, throwing a tired yellow glow over the cracked sidewalk.

“Lila, slow down,” he said, his voice rough with exhaustion. “We are not being chased anymore.”

She looked back over her shoulder, expecting to see officers spilling out from the corner, but the street was empty. The sirens were distant now, drifting toward another part of town.

Liz collapsed on the bench and leaned her head back, gasping. “I swear my lungs are crying,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest.

Ryan bent forward, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “That was too close,” he said. “One more second and we would have been done.”

Lila sat beside Liz and rubbed her face. Her body was shaking, not from the run but from the truth she could not push away. “We cannot stay near the forest anymore,” she said. “They will search it. They will search this whole side of town. Carla is not going to stop.”

Nate sat beside her, close enough for his shoulder to brush hers. “You are right,” he said quietly. “But running in circles will not help us.”

Liz let out a tired laugh. “So what do you suggest? Dinner and a movie?”

Nate shook his head and looked out at the street. “We need a place that is quiet and empty. Somewhere they will not think to look.”

Ryan straightened and pushed his hair away from his eyes. “We could try the old storage buildings behind the grain mill,” he said. “No one goes there anymore. Half the place is boarded up.”

Nate nodded slowly. “That might work.”

Lila stared at the ground for a long moment. She could feel everyone watching her, waiting for her to decide, waiting for her to lead even though she was the last person who wanted that role. Her heart was still pounding, but beneath the fear she felt something else too, something steady and fierce.

She stood. “Let us go. Before the officers circle back.”

They moved fast again, though this time the run was shorter and the streets were quieter. The town felt different in the late night darkness, like a place holding its breath. The houses were dark, the windows closed, and even the stray dogs that sometimes wandered the alleys were nowhere to be seen.

When they reached the grain mill, Lila hesitated. The mill was an enormous shadow in front of them, with tall empty silos that looked like giant hollow bones. The storage buildings sat behind it, low and crooked and covered with peeling white paint.

Ryan pushed open the side gate, and it squealed loudly. Lila winced and looked around, expecting someone to shout or a light to switch on, but the night stayed still.

Inside the yard, the air smelled like dust and old grain. Their footsteps echoed softly on the broken pavement.

“There,” Liz whispered, pointing to the last building. “The door is open.”

They slipped inside. The room was dark and cool, with the faint scent of wood and rust. Moonlight leaked through the broken roof, painting pale strips across the concrete floor.

Lila took a slow breath. “We will rest here for a minute,” she said. “Then we figure out what to do next.”

Liz dropped onto a stack of old wooden crates. “I vote that we sleep for three days.”

Ryan sat on the floor and put his back against the wall. “One day would be enough,” he said. “Just enough for my legs to forgive me.”

Nate stayed standing at first. He studied the door, then the windows, then the corners of the room, as if he expected danger to rise from the shadows. Finally he walked over and sat beside Lila again.

She felt the weight of his silence and glanced at him. “What is going on in your head?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You will not like my answer.”

“Say it anyway.”

He looked at her, his eyes steady and serious. “I think someone tipped them off. They were too close. They knew the forest, they knew the direction we were heading. That does not happen by accident.”

Her heart squeezed. “You think someone is following us.”

“I think someone is feeding them information,” he said.

Liz sat up straight. “Like who? Carla already knows everything.”

Ryan frowned. “Unless someone else is talking to her.”

Lila felt a cold rush through her body. Her mind jumped to the last faces she had seen in town, the last conversations she had overheard, the last betrayals that had snapped at her like hungry dogs.

Nate saw the look on her face. “You know something.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Ethan,” she said quietly. “He has always wanted to be close to Sadie. He would do anything for her attention. I caught him looking at me in a strange way earlier. It felt like he knew too much.”

Liz groaned. “Great. So we are being hunted by a crazy woman and her messy assistant.”

Ryan looked toward the door. “We need a plan. A real plan. We cannot keep running forever.”

Lila stared at her hands. “I know,” she said. “But everything is tangled right now. Carla wants control. Vanessa wants Nate’s secrets. Ethan wants to please Sadie. None of them are letting go.”

Nate turned toward her and took her hand gently. “Then we untangle it,” he said. “Piece by piece.”

Her throat tightened at the sound of his voice. She leaned toward him without thinking, drawn by the steady warmth he always carried. The fear in her chest loosened for a moment.

But the calm did not last.

There was a faint crunch outside the door, followed by a soft shift of gravel.

Everyone froze.

Ryan whispered, “Did you hear that?”

Liz covered her mouth with both hands. “Tell me that was the wind.”

Nate stood silently and moved closer to the door. He did not touch it. He only listened.

Lila felt her heart slam against her ribs. Her pulse thudded in her ears. She rose slowly, trying not to make a sound.

The crunch came again, closer this time. Someone was walking right outside.

Nate turned his head slightly and whispered, “Stay behind me.”

Lila shook her head. “No. I am not hiding again. Not tonight.”

Before Nate could protest, the doorknob turned. The door creaked open. And a shadow stepped inside.