And there, just a short distance away, Jason spotted exactly what he had been praying to find. Taylor’s motionless form was resting peacefully on the same cushioning pile of ancient leaves. His arms and legs appeared to be positioned…

Normally, his head was still attached to his shoulders, and most importantly, there were no pools of crimson spreading across the ground beneath his body. Jason was positioned too far away to feel for a heartbeat or check Taylor’s vital signs, but he could clearly observe the gentle, rhythmic movement of Taylor’s chest rising and falling. His breathing looked calm and regular, as though he were simply enjoying a peaceful afternoon nap.

The sight of Taylor appearing uninjured and whole sent waves of pure joy coursing through Jason’s entire being. He tried to force his battered body into an upright position, but even the smallest attempt at movement sent flames of agony racing up and down his damaged spine. After making several painful attempts to sit up, he finally surrendered to his physical limitations.

“Taylor!” Jason managed to call out, though his voice came out rough and scratchy.

He repeated Taylor’s name over and over again, each call growing more desperate than the last, but no matter how loudly he yelled, there was no response.

A cold knot of fear began forming in Jason’s stomach. Had Taylor suffered injuries too severe to hear or respond to his name? Fresh chapters posted on fin?novel.net

Just as fear began to close in on Jason, Taylor stirred. “Cut it out,” he muttered, irritation sharp in his tone. “I’m trying to sleep.”

Taylor’s voice was firm, stronger than Jason expected, proof that he wasn’t nearly as battered. Jason surmised that Taylor must have landed right on the soft bed of leaves, missing every branch on the way down.

Relief swept through Jason, loosening the knot in his chest. A smile broke across his face, light chasing away his fear. The sole thought that Taylor was alive kept him from crumbling. He hadn’t lost his cousin. His mother’s hands weren’t stained with the family’s blood. And he himself still had a pulse.

Jason never truly wanted to die. No matter how dark life had grown, surrender had never been in him. The reckless choice of leaping down the cliff had been only to make amends for his mother’s sins. And in a cruel twist, it had been the right choice. If not for him, Taylor would have been left to die in this forest alone.

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Taylor slipped back into sleep, impossible to wake. Jason gave up trying, lying still as strength slowly crept back into his aching body. When he finally felt steady, he forced himself upright.

From his new view, the clearing unfolded before him, and his breath caught.

His gaze swept the ground, and dread settled like ice in his stomach. The huge mound of leaves wasn’t natural — it had been made by human hands. And around it lay a grim ring of bones. Human bones.

Among the skeletons were fresh, severed limbs, and pools of blood still dark and wet. The gore could only belong to Michael’s men from the night before. They must have jumped from the wrong ledge, missed the hidden cushion of leaves, and shattered on the merciless ground.

The sight brought a chilling realization to Jason. Everyone online claimed the eagle-shaped cliff was Beakcliff’s deadliest spot, a certain death drop. But the truth was the opposite. What looked like a deathtrap was really an entrance. A safe landing. He and Taylor had stumbled onto it by blind luck.

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