Chapter 42

Zion threw the cigarette butt in the trash can and spoke again. "Stephanie's phone has suffered varying degrees of damage, but it's not completely irreparable. It'll just take time to recover the data, so we'll wait and see." He turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and looked back at Michael. "If your hesitation and protection result in Stephanie's death or any other more dreadful outcome, you'll be partly responsible. Even if the law can't punish you, morality and conscience will always be your shackles." Michael stood numbly in place, looking unusually exhausted for a moment. I glanced back at him once and never looked back again. I didn't know when my soul would disappear and when I would truly die. I didn't understand why I was in my current state. All I could do was wait. I hoped for my body to be found and the truth to be revealed so that my remains could be cremated and laid to rest. Perhaps then, I could truly find release. "Officer Landon, the lunatic… St