My Stepfather Chased Me Into the Wilderness to Bury His Darkest Secret
Previously: Clinging to a steep mountain ledge in the Pacific Northwest, seventeen-year-old Leo realized the man he called family was hunting him—and would do anything to keep the truth buried forever.
The Edge of Survival
Leo’s foot slipped on a patch of wet moss, sending a shower of loose shale cascading down into the abyss. He gasped, barely catching himself on a thick pine root. Above him, a beam of light cut through the dense fog. Marcus stood at the top of the ledge, his face illuminated by the cold glow of his flashlight. He looked down at Leo with a chilling, vacant expression that held no trace of the man who had promised to protect him.
"It’s over, Leo," Marcus called out, his voice smooth and terrifyingly calm. "You can't outrun the mountain. Just let go. It will be quick."
Leo squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head in defiance. "You killed her!" he screamed, his voice cracking with emotion. "You murdered my mother!"
Marcus didn't deny it. Instead, he slowly knelt down, reaching for a heavy, fallen branch. He aimed it directly at Leo's bleeding fingers. Leo braced himself, knowing that a fall from this height would be fatal. He closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable impact. But just as Marcus raised the branch to strike, a sharp, deafening crack echoed through the ravine. It wasn't thunder. It was a gunshot.
Marcus flinched, losing his balance on the slippery edge. He scrambled backward as a figure emerged from the shadows of the pine trees, holding a smoking flare gun. It was a woman in tactical gear, her face grim. She pointed a second device at Marcus and ordered him to step away from the ledge. Leo gasped, recognizing her from the profile photo on the encrypted messages—it was Sarah, the private investigator Marcus had hired.
”Leo gasped, recognizing her from the profile photo on the encrypted messages—it was Sarah, the private investigator Marcus had hired.