Chapter 10 - The Ambush at the Outlet
Marcus stood under the concrete overpass, completely shielded from the downpour, his heavy rifle resting across his chest. He was watching the drainage outlet with the cold patience of a seasoned predator. He knew the water had to empty here.
Inside the pipe, Ryan, Clara, and Leo were trapped against the debris grate, submerged up to their waists in freezing mountain runoff. Leo was shivering violently, his lips once again losing color as the damp cold seeped into his lungs.
""We can't stay here,"" Clara whispered, her lips purple from hypothermia. ""Leo won't survive another ten minutes in this water. His chest is starting to rattle again.""
Ryan looked at the rusted latch of the debris grate. The old padlock was completely corroded by decades of water flow. A single heavy blow from a solid rock could shatter it, but the sound would instantly alert Marcus, fifty yards away.
""Clara,"" Ryan whispered, leaning close so only she could hear over the sound of rushing water. ""When that grate opens, you take Leo and run straight for the drainage ditch along the tree line. Do not look back at the truck. Do not wait for me.""
""Ryan, no,"" Clara pleaded, tears cutting through the dirty water on her face. ""He has a rifle. He’ll shoot you before you reach him.""
""He needs Leo alive,"" Ryan said coldly. ""Eleanor wants an heir, not a corpse. That means Marcus has orders not to shoot wildly. He’ll hesitate. And that hesitation is all I need.""
Ryan found a heavy, jagged piece of river shale wedged against the bars. He wrapped his fingers around it, testing its weight. He turned to Leo, kissing the boy’s soaking wet forehead. ""Be brave for Dad, okay? Stay with Mom.""
Leo nodded weakly, burying his face into Clara’s shoulder.
Ryan didn't hesitate. With a feral roar, he slammed the heavy stone into the rusted latch.
The metal exploded with a sharp, gunshot-like snap. The debris grate swung outward under the tremendous pressure of the backed-up water, unleashing a violent torrent that spewed Clara, Ryan, and thousands of gallons of runoff into the shallow ditch outside.
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Across the field, Marcus whipped his rifle up, snapping the safety off. ""Target acquired!"" he shouted into his radio headset.
Ryan scrambled out of the mud, surging to his feet like an animal unleashed, charging directly into the sights of the rifle.
