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The same man who assaulted her earlier has his fist knotted in her hair, dragging her back across the porch. She barely made it down the steps.

So close.

If she’d made it into the open, Luke would’ve taken him out.

But she’s still under the porch overhang—too close to the structure. From the roof, Luke has no visual.

He doesn’t even know she’s out here.

She struggles—kicking, twisting, trying to break free—but he yanks her upright and throws her down. She lands hard, skidding across the slick grass, arms raised to shield herself.

His boot lifts.

Fury turns my veins to ice, and I step out from cover—just as lightning rips across the sky.

The flash overloads my goggles. Vision flares white, and I blink hard—too late.

Across the clearing, the man jerks upright. His posture shifts—locked on.

He’s seen me.

“Look out!” Samantha shouts.

He raises a pistol.

The shot cracks.

Air snaps past my ear.

I drop, slam into the mud. It erupts beneath me—slick and foul, stinking of rot. My goggles twist from the impact. I rip them off, blink against grit and rain, heart hammering.

Everything’s a blur—shapes and movement bleeding together.

But one figure’s closer than the rest—too close.

My shoulder drives into his chest, full force. We slam to the ground in a brutal tangle, limbs slipping in the mud. He grunts—sharp and surprised—as we hit, rolling hard. Something cracks. Maybe a rib. Maybe a root.

I swing.

Once. My fist smashes into his jaw, bone against bone.

Twice. Blood sprays, blending with the rain.

Third time—his body goes slack beneath me.

But I don’t stop.

Not after what he did to Samantha. Like he enjoyed it.

I keep swinging until he stops twitching. Until the only sound left is the rain and the rasp of my breath.

By the time I stagger back, his face is a ruin of blood and sludge. My hands are trembling. My pulse roars in my ears like surf in a cave.

He’s not getting up again.

Above me, Luke opens fire—his first clear shots, tight and deliberate, cracking through the storm like nails through tin. I spin toward the sound just as lightning flashes again, splitting the sky wide open in a blaze of white.

Samantha—staggering near the waterline, wild-eyed, backing away from El-Maati.