Astonished by the turn of events, Dennis found himself in a battle against fate. Everything was working against him. The boss stood still, watching from a distance, convinced the boy wouldn't make it out alive. The jagged metal lodged deep in Dennis's leg was more than an obstacle,it was a death sentence.
But Dennis wasn't ready to die.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he fought the panic clawing at his chest. Each pulse of agony made it harder to breathe, let alone move. Still, he couldn't give in not here, not now. With trembling hands, he summoned what strength he had left and yanked the metal from his flesh. A geyser of blood followed. He screamed, the sound tearing through the air just as the roar of the oncoming train grew louder.
Up on the hill, the boss grinned. The kid was as good as dead.
Desperate, Dennis tore at his jeans, ripping away the fabric caught in the twisted metal. The force of it flung him backward, rolling him off the tracks just as the train thundered through. Steel screamed against steel, missing him by a breath.
The boss's smirk faltered. For a moment, disbelief clouded his face ,a tell-it-to-the-marines kind of look. Still, he shook it off. With that much blood loss, the boy wouldn't survive long. Turning away, he vanished into the shadows.
But Dennis was still breathing.
He lay in the dirt, heart racing, leg soaked in blood, but alive. He dragged himself upright using both hands, groaning through clenched teeth. His body screamed for rest, but he needed water ;anything to clean the wound. Through blurred vision, he spotted the treeline. Swallowing hard, he limped forward, toward the woods, hoping to find a stream... and salvation.
Back at Mina's house, the boss and Nick finished burying her body in a shallow grave dug with a rusty shovel from the garage. To cover their tracks, they lit the house ablaze, watching the flames consume every trace of their crime before disappearing into the night.
Meanwhile, the sun dipped below the horizon. Darkness swallowed the forest. Dennis, limping and weak, feared the predators that might lurk ahead. Wolves, maybe worse. The moon offered the only light, casting eerie silver patterns across the leaves. Trees stretched like silent sentinels on either side as he hobbled through.
Then came the wind.
Cold and violent, it howled through the trees, bending branches and sending leaves dancing like frantic spirits. Lightning cracked overhead, followed by rumbling thunder that shook the ground. The scent of ozone thickened in the air. Rain was coming and fast.
A bolt struck a tree nearby, exploding bark and flame. Dennis dropped, covering his ears. A massive branch snapped and fell toward him. He rolled just in time, heart pounding. There was no time to stop. He pushed forward, limping faster now, driven by instinct.
Between two ancient trees twisted together, he heard it ;the rush of water.
Hope surged in his chest.
Pushing through the brush, he emerged to see a river, swift and angry. The current looked strong enough to carry him away, but he didn't care. He shuffled toward it, nearly crawling.
"I'm almost there..." he whispered, vision blurring.
The world spun. Objects around him split into shifting doubles. Rain began to drizzle at first, then heavy, pounding the forest in sheets. Just as he reached the riverbank, Dennis collapsed. Half his body slid into the water, unmoving.
The current caught him.
And as the storm raged on, his body floated, lifeless as driftwood, deeper into the unknown.