Chapter 124 The Cost Of Silence

• The world faded around Sofie as she tripped into the night, her body brushing against the decaying warehouse walls. Her breath emerged in jagged inhales, misting the chilly, humid air. Each step she made felt as though she was pulling her soul along, one heartbeat at a time. Her tattered black trench coat flapped around her legs as the wind screamed through the empty alleyways. She could still perceive distant murmurs resonating in her thoughts, "sign the contract... take the mother..." and it unleashed a new wave of terror through her bloodstream.
• Her exposed feet, battered and bloodied from sprinting across rough terrain, scarcely felt the pain now. Sofie gripped the tiny knife that Arlene had handed her, the hilt warm and smooth in her shaking hand. She leaned against the chilly stone wall, paying attention. Hearing for footfalls. Eavesdropping for treachery.
• The night was alive with faraway sounds: sirens blaring in the distance, a car engine revving, a stray dog barking. But a single, fragile hope was what held her up, what kept her moving on in spite of her own anxiety.