Page 115 of The Triangle

Out here in the middle of nowhere…

Natural selection is about to sort everything out.

CHAPTER FIFTY - ALEC

“This way,” Danny says, looking at the green Christine dot on the phone.

I keep waiting for another black-clad fokker to jump out from behind a tree, or for a sniper’s bullet to rip through my chest. If I were Lars and had gone through all the effort he’s gone through to this point, I’d make sure that the job got done. But he’s not me. And I’m sure that’s part of the problem. So far, no sniper, no new ambush, nothing.

“What would you like to do when we catch them?” I ask Danny.

“What?”

“What would you like to do? What’s the plan? What’s the endgame? What are we fighting for, man?”

Our jog slows slightly, but we keep moving forward.

“Fuck are you talking about?”

“Why didn’t he shoot her?”

“Dude,” Danny says with exasperation, “I don’t fucking know.”

“And you’re not curious?”

“No, it’s Christine.”

“You don’t even know her anymore.”

“I know her well enough.”

God… I hate that I want to kill Danny right now. Because I love him so. That there is quintessentially Danny Fortnight. Black and white. Good and bad. Calls it as he sees it, loyal to a fault, and all that kak.

Yes, maybe he knew her. Once upon a time. He knew a little girl called Christine. But she stopped being a little girl so long ago. And he stopped understanding her when that change happened. So did I.

If either of us ever knew her at all. I’m not sure we even know ourselves anymore.

“He was never going to kill her,” I observe.

“I know,” he growls back. “Obviously. I mean, he’s Lars. He’s had a crush on her since he was fourteen.”

“Yes. And that’s sweet. But I don’t know how much water their history carries. He’s also my brother and he tried to kill me, bru. And you.”

He says nothing. I don’t take my eyes off him as I continue. “So what would you like to do? I’m giving you the reins, my china. This is your mission now. Following your lead and all that. What? Would you like? To do? When we find them? How do we handle this situation, Danny?”

He looks at me as if to say something, but then just glances down at the phone in his hand again and says, “This way.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE - CHRISTINE

We stumble into the clearing. The spot where Alec brought me earlier. It’s so different at night. The panoramic view is now replaced by what feels like an endless blanket of black. The only way to know where the edge is is by observing the moonlight shining off the rushing waterfall.

“Fok!” Lars yells again. Then he turns his attention to the young guy. “Boy!”

The kid holding my arm stiffens at being called ‘boy.’ But then he says, “Yes, sir?”

“Let her go.”

The kid does. He looks at me with eyes that just about scream, I’m sorry. Shit. Am I supposed to know who he is too?