Page 54 of For Rage

His foot was right beside her now.

With the last bit of her strength, Morgan slashed forward. Her blade connected with his foot—snapping right into his Achilles's heel.

Randall yelped in pain and blood immediately poured from him. Morgan smiled to herself as she lay back on the grass. That wound would be awful. It might even kill him, she hoped. It would definitely slow him down. Derik would get him. He would pay for what he'd done.

She felt the poison slowing her body. Her eyes closed, and she stopped caring. There was no more. Her mind, her body, and her spirit were gone. But she looked forward to seeing her dad again.

Just then, she heard a voice. A familiar one. Morgan's eyes fluttered open a bit more to see the tips of the cornstalks and the night sky. But someone else too.

Derik.

His face appeared before hers. He had a wound on his head, bleeding down his pale skin, and a look of urgency in his eyes. He was shouting, but Morgan couldn't hear him anymore. She could only smile. At least she got to see him one last time.

Finally at peace, she let go of her final breath.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Morgan's eyes fluttered open to a white light.

For a moment, she wondered if Heaven were real. She'd blinked, died, then woke up here. It was a nice thought but too short-lived. A steady beeping slowly bled into her consciousness. She opened her eyes more and took in her mortal body, splayed out on the white sheets of a hospital bed, with IVs and tubes hooked up to her.

A hospital.

Of course.

Morgan wasn't sure why, for a moment, she was almost disappointed she didn't die. She had finally felt at peace, ready to let it all go. Her fight had been over.

And yet here she was, alive. Breathing.

And she wasn't alone.

"Cross, you're awake."

Derik’s face was pale, with a look of intense emotion in his eyes—a mix of relief and sorrow. His forehead was bruised, and a white gauze was taped across it, holding it in place. His patched-up face stood out against the lightness of the room.

Morgan couldn't speak. She was overcome with emotions.

Derik had saved her life. He had risked everything to make sure she was okay. The thought made her heart swell with gratitude and affection for him. She tried to speak, but her throat was dry and sore. She cleared her throat and managed a faint whisper, "Thank you, Derik."

Derik's face softened, and he leaned in closer to her."Are you kidding? I'm your partner. I'm just sorry I was late. Had a little car accident."

She wanted to cry, to scream, to hug him. But her body was still weak, and all she could do was look at him. The weight of everything that had happened crashed down on her. The Maze Killer, her own near-death experience, and now, the reality of surviving it all.

"How long have I been out?" she managed to croak out.

"A day," Derik replied. "You were pretty messed up, but you're getting better now. The nurses said your vitals were looking great."

Morgan looked down at herself. She was wearing a hospital gown, and she could feel the soreness in her body.

"What happened to Randall?" she asked.

"He's in custody," Derik said. "Thanks to you. You got him before he could get away."

Morgan smiled weakly. It was a relief to know he was behind bars, but it didn't take away the trauma of everything that had happened. Her mind was still spinning with questions.

"But ... the poison," Morgan said.

"Johnson's experimental antidote worked. He’s been working on it for years, but it wasn’t perfected, as he never got to trial it on humans. But it was the best we had, so we tried it out. Both you and Sarah are going to be okay.”

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