CHAPTER 5 â The Last Survivor
The photograph trembled in Ethan's hands.
Seven soldiers.
Six faces crossed out with thick black ink.
Only his own remained untouched.
One by one...
His teammates hadn't died in battle.
They had been hunted.
Executed.
Silenced.
Emma looked over his shoulder and gasped.
"Those were your men..."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"They all survived the ambush."
"What?"
"They escaped with me."
No one spoke.
"For months we stayed alive together."
"We promised that if even one of us escaped..."
"...he would expose the truth."
Daniel frowned.
"But the military reported everyone was killed."
"Because someone rewrote history."
Ethan unfolded another weathered document hidden inside his backpack.
It was a hand-drawn map.
On the back were seven signaturesâone from every member of his squad.
"We buried evidence before they captured us again."
"Evidence of who betrayed the mission."
Emma's face turned pale.
"The map..."
"It still exists?"
Ethan nodded.
"If we reach it before Hawthorne's men..."
"We can prove everything."
Suddenly...
The television switched on by itself.
Breaking News flashed across every channel.
A confident reporter stood beside General Richard Hawthorne.
"We have an urgent announcement."
The General looked straight into the camera.
"This afternoon, a dangerous man impersonating a deceased American soldier appeared in a civilian neighborhood."
"He is mentally unstable..."
"And may be armed."
"If you see him..."
"Contact authorities immediately."
Emma stared in disbelief.
"He's turning you into a criminal."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"No..."
"He's declaring war."
Just then...
Someone knocked on the front door.
Three slow knocks.
Everyone froze.
Daniel carefully looked through the peephole.
His face turned white.
"It's the FBI..."
May you like
There were six armed agents outside.
And they weren't there to protect Ethan.
