Found Obsession

Chapter 147: Betrayal V

The heavy police truck rumbled over the road, its passengers shrouded in silence. Rose sat, wrists bound, her body stiff with tension. Every few minutes, she felt the weight of their stares-officers glancing at her through the dim interior, some with contempt, others with calculation. The rhythmic hum of the engine filled the void, but inside her head, the pressure was mounting.

How much longer?

Rose was sure a couple of hours had gone by. She couldn't have them continue, she had to get out.

However, when she thought about attacking-

A sudden, deafening horn blast.

The impact came like thunder, metal colliding against metal in a horrific symphony of crushing steel and shattering glass. The force threw Rose sideways before she could even brace herself, her body slamming into the hard interior wall of the truck. The world flipped-once, twice-gravity twisting violently, bodies crashing into each other like ragdolls, screams were let out.

A sharp crack-the windshield exploded, tiny shards slicing through the air.

Then-stillness.

The truck lay at a sickening angle, smoke hissing from beneath the wreckage.

Rose's head throbbed, the sharp sting of a gash just above her eyebrow sending warm blood trickling down her temple. Her ears rang with an earsplitting beep, an endless tone that vibrated deep into her skull.

Blurred voices filtered through the chaos-some groaning, some cursing, but many were silent.

Unconscious. Or worse.

Her breath hitched as the truck's back doors were yanked open, the hinges screeching under the force.

Boots.

Dark figures moved into the wreckage with deadly precision, their steps measured, purposeful. Not police. She didn't see them in army uniforms.

Through the haze, Rose saw the vague shapes of men sweeping through the carnage, methodical as they checked for survivors. Their weapons were drawn, silencers attached-professional. Efficient. Cold.

She blinked sluggishly, her vision unfocused, her mind slipping in and out of the present.

She felt hands on her.

Dragging. Pulling.

The world lurched again. The pressure on her arms burned as she was yanked from the overturned truck, her boots scraping against shattered glass and twisted metal.

Her lips parted, words sluggish, weak-"Jonathan... what a horrible rescue."

No one answered.

Gunfire erupted-short, controlled bursts.

A body dropped from her line of sight, hitting the pavement with a dull thud. She could barely make out the shape of a police officer, his uniform darkened with spreading blood.

Her stomach churned.

Rose fought to stay conscious, but her head swam, the pressure behind her eyes unbearable. The edges of her vision darkened, flickering like static on an old television screen.

Then, through the blur-a hand pressed against her forehead.

A palm, warm, grounding.

She forced her gaze upward, struggling to focus on the face hovering above her.

Instead, her eyes locked onto a cross dangling from a chain around the stranger's neck.

It swung gently, catching the faint glow of a nearby streetlight.