Chapter 9 - The Verdict of the People
The escape through the underground tunnels was a nightmare of tight spaces and choking smoke, but Rex guided them with absolute precision. He would stop, sniff the air currents, and lead them toward the clean air.
They finally burst through a hidden opening on the high ridge, coughing and covered in soot.
In front of them was the metal structure of the Fire Tower. Behind them, the forest below was a sea of fire.
"I have a signal!" Sarah cried, her phone showing two bars. "It's uploading... it's uploading!"
"Freeze!" a voice yelled.
Silas Vance stepped out from the shadows of the tower, his face blistered from the heat, his uniform torn. He held a heavy revolver, his eyes crazed.
"Give me the phone, Sarah," Silas hissed. "Or I swear to God, I'll bury all of you in this forest."
Marcus stepped in front of Sarah. "It's over, Silas. The whole county knows what you did. You can't kill us all."
"I can," Silas snarled, raising the gun.
Before he could pull the trigger, Rex moved like a streak of dark lightning. He didn't attack Silas’s throat; he went for the gun hand. His massive jaws clamped down on Silas’s wrist.
The gun discharged into the air as Silas screamed in pain, falling to the ground.
"Get him off me! Get him off!" Silas shrieked.
"Rex, heel!" Marcus commanded.
Rex instantly released his grip, stepping back and standing guard, his chest heaving, his scowl fierce but controlled.
From the distance, the real sirens—this time, the state police and the FBI—echoed through the forest. Sarah’s upload had finished. The video of Silas and Thomas discussing their corrupt breeding ring and the cover-up had gone viral, viewed by millions of outraged citizens within minutes.
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As the state troopers swarmed the ridge, arresting a weeping, bleeding Silas, Sarah fell to her knees, hugging Leo and Rex tight.
The nightmare was finally over.
