Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 179

Chapter 179

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Annie pulled over to the side of the dirt road and parked, just sitting there for a moment with her hands clenching the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Many hours since, the signal of the GPS had vanished, swallowed up by the desolate wilderness. The silence was deafening but for the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze of the night.

She looked at her phone–no signal.

The only thing illuminating her way was the flashlight. She took a deep, shaking breath and got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

Finally, Annie saw the old condemned house; it was just as olden and condemned as she had thought it would be.

its wooden boards rotting, a couple of roofs missing, and a faint light flickering inside. She approached it from the back, and her breath hitched in her chest at the thought of what she was going to do. Her steps were cautious, her boots crunching against the brittle grass, and her heart thundered so loud that she was afraid he may hear her approach.

She peered through the cracked kitchen window and saw him–Jim. He was alive, moving around the kitchen with an air of nonchalance, humming some.tune in a toneless voice as he prepared some concoction of food. Annie froze for a moment with anger and hatred. His threats have made her life miserable; meanwhile, he was living his life to the fullest.

She waits, crouches in the shadow, and watches him. Each second passing was like eternity to her. Her hands knitted in her backpack straps where the tools for revenge lay hidden. When eventually Jim retired to sleep and a dim light within the house was doused out. She waits for a bit more, which made him deep in sleep.

When she was satisfied that he indeed slept fast, she tiptoed to the back door–which was hardly hanging together–and eased it open with creaking hinges. She stepped inside, stopped, and listened, her heart pounding. A smell of dishes not washed greeted her like a brick, but that was hardly the worst of her problems.

its blade tenebrously luminous in the dark,

sideway lean, chest rising and falling very slowly in deep, unconscious sleep. It filled her with hatred and a grim satisfaction as she gazed at him, such a

with shaking

raised the dagger, teeth gritted with furrowed eyebrows. And in one swift motion devoid of mercy, she

of shock and pain while he let out a guttural scream.

could, Annie swung the axe. The blade came down hard, pinning his other hand to the opposite side of the couch. Blood sprayed across

his cries echoing through the night like the wails of wounded animal. He lunged desperately, trying to

been more careful,” Annie hissed, venomous and cold. She leaned in closer to him, inches from his face, her eyes ablaze with fury. “You thought you could threaten you. You should have asked your predecessor before pulling such a stunt. “I told you I

in anger and pleasure. Her face was just inches

Feb 1

Chapter 179

word venomously. His painful cries filled the room, his

she shrieked, her voice sharp enough to

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writhed against the pain that pinned him onto the couch. It was his silence

her voice bounced within

away from him and spun around, shaking with anger and frustration. The room was a disaster, but she didn’t care. She yanked out drawers and heaved furniture forward, hurling anything out of her path. Sharp, ragged bursts of breathing escaped her

hours, but then her eyes finally caught the small, hidden USB drive under a stack of papers. A triumphant smile beamed

her bag, inserting the drive into her laptop as her heart pounded while the files loaded on the screen. One by one, she clicked through the videos; with each, her suspicions were confirmed in a damning playback of footage right before