CHAPTER 2: THE CABIN HIDDEN BEYOND THE TREES The voice disappeared. But the feeling it left behind remained. Colter stood frozen at the edge of the forest, listening carefully. Nothing. No footsteps. No movement. Only the sound of leaves moving above them. One of the bikers whispered, "You heard that too, right?" Colter nodded slowly. "Yeah." Nobody needed another explanation. They weren't searching for a lost person anymore. They were walking into someone's territory. The group moved deeper into the woods. The narrow trail twisted between thick trees, covered with broken branches and old leaves. The farther they walked, the colder the air became. After several minutes, Colter noticed something strange. Footprints. Fresh ones. A man's boots. And smaller ones. Emma's. The realization hit him. The little girl hadn't wandered into the woods. She had escaped from somewhere. Someone had brought her there. Colter followed the trail until the trees suddenly opened. Hidden between the woods sat a small wooden cabin. Old. Weathered. Almost invisible from the road. The kind of place nobody would discover unless they were looking for it. Colter raised his fist, stopping the others. The cabin looked abandoned. But something felt wrong. The front door was slightly open. Inside, a lamp was still burning. Someone had been there recently. Colter slowly pushed the door open. "Hello?" No answer. The cabin was small but clean. Too clean. A table. A fireplace. A few chairs. Then Colter saw something that made his stomach tighten. A child's drawing. Pinned to the wall. A picture of a family. A mother. A daughter. And a man standing beside them. But the man's face had been scratched away. One of the bikers whispered: "Who does that?" Colter didn't answer. Because on the floor beside the drawing was something else. A phone. Still recording. He picked it up. The screen showed a video. A woman. Emma's mother. Her face was bruised. Her voice was shaking. "My name is Rachel Morgan..." The room became silent. The bikers gathered around. Rachel looked directly into the camera. "If anyone finds this..." She swallowed. "Please protect my daughter." The video continued. "He will tell you I'm crazy. He will tell you I made everything up." Her eyes filled with fear. "But Garrett knows how to make people believe him." Then suddenly... Rachel looked away from the camera. Like she heard something. Her expression changed. "No..." The recording shook. A man's voice came from somewhere nearby. "You shouldn't have done this." The video ended. Nobody moved. Then Colter heard something behind them. A slow clap. Everyone turned. Standing outside the cabin was a man. Tall. Clean clothes. Calm expression. No fear. Garrett. He smiled slightly. "You boys really should learn not to interfere with family problems." Colter stepped forward. "Where is Rachel?" Garrett tilted his head. "Who?" Colter's jaw tightened. "The woman you hurt." Garrett smiled wider. And that was when Colter knew. This man wasn't scared. He was confident. Because he believed nobody could touch him.

5 chapters