CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE – HE WILL RETURN INEVITABLY

But even as that thought brought a fleeting sense of peace, Laura couldn't ignore the nagging sense of unease that slithered through her like a serpent coiled in the pit of her stomach. This was far from over – she knew that with a bone-deep certainty that chilled her to her core. Carter might have fled, might have abandoned his twisted machinations for the moment, but he would return. Snakes like him always did, slinking back into the shadows to lick their wounds and plot their next strike. And when he did, Laura knew she would be ready. Ready to face him, to match his depravity with a ferocity and determination that would make even the twisted doctor quail in fear. Because this was her life now – a world of darkness and teeth and claw, of battles waged not only against external foes, but against the demons that lurked within as well. As she cradled Sarah's battered form against her chest, drawing strength from the reassuring thrum of the young woman's heartbeat, Laura cast a si