Torn Apart
841 Words
Branches whipped against Amanda’s face as she ran.
The forest had become a nightmare of shouting voices, gunfire, and flashing lights cutting through the darkness.
“Don’t stop!” Ben shouted.
Amanda’s lungs burned as she pushed forward beside him. The ground beneath her feet was uneven, slippery with fallen leaves and loose gravel.
Behind them, men were shouting orders.
“Cut them off!”
“North side!”
“They’re heading toward the ridge!”
Amanda stumbled.
Ben caught her instantly.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
His grip was firm, steady — the only thing keeping her from collapsing under the weight of fear pressing against her chest.
Another gunshot exploded nearby.
A tree trunk splintered just inches from Amanda’s shoulder.
She gasped.
“They’re shooting at us!”
Ben pulled her down behind a cluster of rocks.
“Stay low.”
Amanda crouched beside him, her heart pounding wildly.
For a few seconds the world around them was nothing but chaos — men running through the forest, the roar of engines in the distance, flashes of gunfire tearing through the darkness.
The war between the Stone and Chain families had truly begun.
And she was standing in the middle of it.
Amanda swallowed hard.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Ben looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“We were supposed to leave the city… start over somewhere new.”
Her voice trembled.
“No families. No fighting. Just us.”
For a moment, Ben didn’t speak.
His expression softened.
“We still can.”
Amanda stared at him.
“How? Look around, Ben.”
Another explosion of gunfire echoed across the forest.
“They’re trying to kill each other!”
Ben glanced toward the distant flashes of light.
His voice dropped slightly.
“Maybe this was inevitable.”
Amanda frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, footsteps suddenly rushed toward them.
Ben’s head snapped up.
“Someone’s coming.”
Two figures burst through the trees.
Stone guards.
Marcus was with them.
“Miss Stone!” Marcus shouted when he saw her.
Amanda stood quickly.
“Marcus!”
He looked relieved — but also tense.
“We have to move now. The Chains are pushing from the east.”
Amanda glanced toward the darkness behind them.
“Where’s the rest of your team?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Some of them didn’t make it.”
Amanda felt the words hit her like a punch to the chest.
Men had already died tonight.
Because of her.
Ben stepped forward.
“Where are you taking her?”
Marcus looked at him coldly.
“Somewhere safe.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Your safety isn’t my concern, Chain.”
The tension between them was thick enough to choke the air.
Amanda stepped between them.
“Stop.”
Both men looked at her.
“We don’t have time for this.”
Marcus nodded.
“The ridge road is about a mile from here. If we reach it, we can get Miss Stone out of the forest.”
“And Ben?” Amanda asked.
Marcus’s expression hardened.
“That depends on what your father decides.”
Amanda shook her head.
“No.”
Marcus frowned.
“Miss Stone—”
“He’s coming with us.”
Before Marcus could argue, another group of armed men appeared between the trees ahead.
Black suits.
Chain soldiers.
They had found them.
“Move!” Marcus shouted.
Gunfire erupted again.
Stone guards returned fire as Amanda and Ben ran deeper into the forest.
But suddenly—
A bullet struck the ground near Amanda’s feet.
She slipped.
“Amanda!” Ben shouted.
Her foot twisted painfully and she crashed to the ground.
Ben dropped beside her.
“Can you stand?”
“I—I think so…”
But when she tried, pain shot through her ankle.
Ben’s jaw tightened.
Footsteps were getting closer.
Too close.
Marcus fired several shots behind them.
“We can’t hold them!”
Ben made a quick decision.
He pulled Amanda up and lifted her into his arms.
Amanda blinked in surprise.
“Ben—”
“I’m not leaving you.”
He started running again.
Through the forest.
Through the chaos.
Through the war exploding around them.
Amanda buried her face against his shoulder, trying to ignore the fear tearing through her chest.
But behind them…
Hidden in the darkness of the trees…
Victor Chain watched the scene calmly.
His men stood around him, weapons ready.
One of them spoke quietly.
“Should we stop them, sir?”
Victor’s lips curled into a slow smile.
“No.”
The soldier looked confused.
“But they’re escaping.”
Victor’s eyes followed Ben as he carried Amanda through the forest.
“They’re exactly where they’re supposed to be.”
The soldier frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Victor chuckled softly.
“Let the boy run.”
His gaze gleamed with quiet amusement.
“After all… the game has only just begun.”
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