Each minute brought us closer to Emma.

My hand found Daniel’s, our fingers locking together in the dark.

The betrayal was deep, but our bond was deeper.

We were going to make them pay.

Every last one of them.

The van crested the hill, the lights of the city appearing below.

And then, the engine died.

The dashboard lights flickered and went out.

The vehicle began to coast, losing speed rapidly.

“What happened?” I asked, looking at Daniel.

“I don’t know,” he said, pumping the gas pedal.

“The fuel pump must have been hit.”

The van rolled to a stop on the shoulder of the dark highway.

The silence returned, heavy and suffocating.

And then, in the distance, we heard the sound of the helicopter.

It was returning.

I looked at Daniel, then at the dark woods lining the road.

“We run,” I said.

We stepped out of the vehicle, our boots hitting the soft dirt.

The helicopter searchlight swept the highway behind us, illuminating the abandoned van.

We plunged into the trees, the branches tearing at our clothes.

The chase was back on.