Chapter 278: When the Forest Went Silent(part 1)
Clyde urged his horse forward, the hooves pounding against the dirt path as he followed the trail Micah had taken through the trees. Branches whipped past on either side, swaying with the wind, but Clyde’s gaze didn’t waver, locked into the fading silhouette ahead.
Clyde took several deep breaths, struggling to control the chaos in his chest. Beads of sweat dropped down, slipping into his eyes. He carelessly wiped it with his sleeve, never taking his eyes off that blurry silhouette.
He thought today he had totally lost it. First at the hospital, then again with a string of poor decisions and misjudgments toward Micah. What was wrong with him?
He was on the edge, wired with a frantic energy he couldn’t shake. He ran his thumb over the wooden prayer beads at his wrist, but even they couldn’t calm the storm inside him. He needed to talk to Micah. To tell him he didn’t care about anything else except Micah himself.
Then, there. Just up ahead, Micah’s figure came into full view, his shirt clinging damply to his back, hair still dripping. The boy had taken off fast, too fast, as if trying to outrun not just Clyde, but his own frustration, confusion, and disappointment.
"Micah!" Clyde shouted, anxious. "Slow down."
The boy jolted at the sudden call. He tightened his hold on the horse, making it startled too. The horse shifted sideways as they entered a thicker patch of low-hanging branches.
"Hey! Watch out!" Clyde yelled again, panic rising in his throat.
Micah ducked at the last second, but a branch still scraped his shoulder. He wobbled in the saddle, clutching the reins with white-knuckled hands as the horse stumbled over a root before finally coming to a shaky halt a few meters ahead.
Clyde’s heart thudded in his chest violently. He didn’t wait for the horses to stop. He swung his leg over and hit the ground running, his boots crashing into the dry leaves as he rushed toward him. "Micah!"