Chapter 53.
The officer's parking lot was a stark, gravel-covered expanse illuminated only by the harsh, orange glow of a few flickering streetlights. The rows of black SUVs and military vehicles looked like hunched beasts in the dark, their metallic hides reflecting the sickly light of the lamps. The gravel crunched beneath Briar’s heels, a sound like grinding bone, as she sprinted toward the far end of the lot. At the edge of the woods that bordered the Town Hall, two shadows were locked in a silent, vibrating standoff. Archer stood with his feet planted wide, his blue jacket pulled tight across his shoulders, the gold stripe on his trousers catching the light as he shifted his weight. His face was a mask of unadulterated rage, his chest heaving with the effort of not striking out. Opposite him
- Writer
