The Secrets We Buried

Eight Years Ago The forest was silent except for the sound of frantic footsteps crushing fallen leaves. Noah Cole ran as fast as his legs would carry him. His chest burned with every breath. Blood trickled from a cut above his eyebrow, blurring his vision, but he didn’t dare stop. Somewhere behind him, flashlights sliced through the darkness. “They’re close!” a voice shouted. “Noah! You can’t run forever!” He ignored them. His hand tightened around the small black flash drive hidden inside his jacket pocket. Everything was on it. Names. Bank records. Videos. Proof. Proof that powerful people in Blackwood had built their fortune on lies… and murder. If they got the flash drive, everyone who had died for the truth would have died for nothing. Lightning flashed across the night sky, briefly illuminating the towering oak trees surrounding him. Noah stumbled over a tree root and crashed to the ground. Pain shot through his ankle. “No…” He forced himself back to his feet. The voices were getting closer. A beam of light swept across the trees. “There he is!” Panic surged through him. His eyes landed on a massive oak tree with thick, twisted roots rising above the earth. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees. His fingers clawed at the damp soil until there was enough space beneath one of the roots. He pulled out the flash drive. “I’m sorry, Amora,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I promised I’d always protect you.” He kissed the flash drive once before pushing it deep into the hollow beneath the roots. He covered it with dirt and leaves, making sure nothing looked disturbed. A branch snapped behind him. Noah stood slowly. Three shadowy figures emerged from the darkness. One of them smiled. “It’s over.” Noah looked toward the hidden flash drive one last time. Find it, Mora. Find the truth. The first gunshot echoed through the forest. Then everything went dark.