THE ABANDONED CHURCH
637 Words
The first rays of dawn had barely broken through the clouds when Ryder's motorcycle rolled out of Iron Haven.
Ava sat behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. The brown envelope rested securely inside Ryder's leather jacket, while the photograph with the chilling words You're Next haunted her thoughts.
Behind them, Mason and Samuel followed on their own motorcycles.
No one spoke.
The road to the abandoned church wound through dense pine forests before climbing into the hills overlooking Black Ridge. Fog drifted lazily between the trees, making the old stone building appear like a ghost from another century.
Ryder parked his motorcycle several meters from the entrance.
"This doesn't feel right," Mason muttered as he removed his helmet.
"It's supposed to feel wrong," Samuel replied. "Someone wanted us here."
Ryder turned to Ava.
"Stay close to me. Don't wander off."
She nodded.
"I won't."
The heavy wooden doors stood slightly open, creaking as the morning wind slipped through them.
Inside, broken pews lay scattered across the dusty floor. Colored glass from shattered stained-glass windows glittered in the sunlight. Nature had begun reclaiming the building, with vines crawling over cracked stone walls.
Ava's footsteps echoed through the silence.
"It feels like someone was here recently," she whispered.
Ryder crouched beside a set of muddy footprints.
"They were."
He touched the print with two fingers.
"Less than twelve hours ago."
Mason walked toward the old altar.
"Boss."
Everyone turned.
Hidden beneath the altar was a small metal box.
Samuel carefully examined it.
"No wires."
"No explosives."
Ryder slowly lifted the lid.
Inside lay a leather-bound journal and a silver locket.
Ava gasped.
The locket belonged to her mother.
She recognized the tiny engraved rose on its surface.
"My mother wore this every day."
With trembling hands, she picked it up and opened it.
Inside were two tiny photographs.
One showed Ava as a child.
The other...
Her breath caught.
A young man smiled back at her.
He wore an Iron Haven leather vest.
Lucas.
Ryder stared at the picture, stunned.
"My brother."
Ava looked between the photo and Ryder.
"They knew each other."
Before anyone could speak, Mason picked up the journal.
"The cover's blank."
He opened the first page.
The handwriting was neat and elegant.
It belonged to a woman.
Ava's heart pounded as she recognized it instantly.
"It's my mother's handwriting."
She began reading aloud.
If you're reading this, it means I failed. There are people who will stop at nothing to protect Project Phoenix. Trust no one—not even those wearing expensive smiles.
The room fell silent.
Ava turned the page.
Most of the journal had been torn out.
Only one final page remained.
At the bottom, her mother had written:
If anything happens to me, find Lucas Kane. He knows where the truth is buried.
Ryder's face went pale.
"Lucas never told me."
Samuel frowned.
"Maybe he never got the chance."
A loud crash shattered the silence.
The church doors slammed shut.
Everyone spun around.
Outside, motorcycle engines roared.
Mason rushed to one of the broken windows.
His expression hardened.
"We've got company."
A dozen motorcycles surrounded the church.
The riders all wore black helmets with no club patches.
Mercenaries.
One of them stepped forward, removing his helmet.
It wasn't Damien Cross.
It was a woman.
Tall.
Cold-eyed.
A scar ran across her left cheek.
She smiled as she looked directly at Ryder.
"It's been a long time."
Ryder's expression darkened.
"You should've stayed gone, Raven."
The woman tilted her head.
"I would've."
She drew a pistol.
"But Victor Bennett pays very well."
Ava's pulse raced.
She had escaped the mansion.
She had survived the chase.
But now, trapped inside an abandoned church with enemies closing in from every side, she realized one terrifying truth.
There was no easy way out.
- Writer
