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Married Before Midnight

Chapter 49 – “No Way Back”

The night air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth as Hannah half-dragged, half-supported Lucas down the deserted road. His breathing was ragged, his arm slung over her shoulders growing heavier with every step. Blood seeped through the makeshift bandage she’d tied around his side, the dark stain spreading despite her efforts to keep pressure on it. “Lucas, stay with me,” she urged, her voice trembling. “Just a little farther.” He gritted his teeth, his face pale under the dim glow of the moon. “We can’t stop. They’ll find us.” Hannah swallowed hard, her grip tightening around his waist. The hard drive burned a hole in her pocket, its weight a constant reminder of the danger they were in. The anonymous text still flashed in her mind: Hand it over, or you won’t make it to sunrise. A flicker of light in the distance caught her attention—a gas station, its neon sign buzzing faintly. Relief and dread warred inside her. Shelter, but at what risk? “There,” she said, nodding toward it. “We need to stop. You’re losing too much blood.” Lucas hesitated, his jaw clenched. “If we go in there, we’re exposed.” “And if we don’t, you’ll pass out before we find help.” He didn’t argue further, his strength clearly waning. The bell above the door jingled as they stumbled inside, drawing the attention of the lone night-shift worker—a wiry man in his forties with sharp eyes and a cigarette dangling from his lips. He took one look at them and exhaled a slow stream of smoke. “You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Hannah forced a steadying breath. “We need an ambulance. And a phone.” The man’s gaze flicked to Lucas’s injury, then back to her face. “You running from something?” She hesitated. “Just an accident.” He snorted, stubbing out his cigarette. “Right. And I’m the president.” Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “If this is about Dawson, the local police won’t help you.”

Hannah’s pulse spiked. “What do you know about Dawson?” The man smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Enough to know you’re in over your head. There’s a guy—works tech at the newspaper downtown. Knows how to crack encrypted files. If you’ve got something hot, he’s your best shot.” Before she could respond, Lucas swayed, his knees buckling. Hannah barely caught him, her heart hammering. “Please,” she begged. “Just call an ambulance.” The man studied them for a long moment before sighing and reaching for the phone. As he dialed, Hannah’s own phone buzzed again.

Another message—this time with an attachment. Her stomach dropped as she opened it. A photo. Of them. Standing outside the gas station. Tick-tock, Hannah. Her breath came in short, panicked bursts.

They were being watched. Right now. Lucas groaned, his fingers digging into her arm. “We need to move.” The worker hung up the phone. “Ambulance is ten minutes out.” Ten minutes was too long. Hannah made a split-second decision. “We can’t wait.” She grabbed Lucas’s hand, pulling him toward the door. The man called after them, “You go out there now, you’re dead.” She didn’t look back. The cold night air hit her like a slap as they stumbled outside. Lucas was fading fast, his steps unsteady. She had to get him somewhere safe. Somewhere they could decrypt the file and expose the truth before it was too late. But as they reached the edge of the parking lot, headlights flared—a massive truck swerving to block the road in front of them. Hannah’s blood turned to ice. Lucas sagged against her, his voice barely a whisper. “There’s no way back now.” Her fingers curled around the hard drive, her heart pounding in her throat. They were out of time.