Chapter 30: Chapter 30: For the blood that spill

The battlefield was still burning.

The echoes of war hadn’t faded yet, but the real hunt had just begun.

Jason was still out there.

Sky was after him.

And Thanawat?

Thanawat had finally caught up with Laurent.

---

Laurent staggered through the ruins of the compound, one hand pressed against his bleeding side.

He was running out of time.

The squad had been distracted by Sky’s chase.

It had been the perfect opportunity to slip away.

Or at least—it should have been.

Because when Laurent turned a corner—

Thanawat was already waiting for him.

Standing in the dim light, a gun in his hand.

And murder in his eyes.

Laurent let out a breathless laugh. “Ah… Chief Thanawat. I was hoping we’d get a moment alone.”

Thanawat didn’t react.

He didn’t blink.

Didn’t even look at Laurent like he was a man.

Just a loose end that needed cutting.

Laurent let out a mocking sigh. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. You knew this was going to happen eventually.”

Thanawat’s fingers tightened around his gun.

His voice was low, controlled, deadly.

“You killed him.”

Laurent raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

Thanawat’s breath came slow. Measured.

Like he was holding back something violent.

But when he spoke again—

The name left his lips like a bullet.

"Thanom."

Laurent stilled.

Then—he smirked.

“Ah… him.”

He tilted his head, feigning thought. “You know, he begged me to let Nani go. Such a loyal fool.”

He let out a short chuckle. “But you already know that, don’t you?”

Thanawat’s entire body went rigid.

Laurent took a slow step forward, voice mocking.

“After all these years, after all the bodies, after all the failures—was it worth it?”

Thanawat lifted his gun.

Laurent didn’t flinch.

He laughed.

"You won’t do it."

Thanawat’s voice was like steel.

“Watch me.”

BANG.

The bullet tore through Laurent’s gut.

His smirk vanished.

For the first time—fear flickered in his eyes.

Laurent staggered, gasping as blood bloomed across his shirt.

He looked down—almost in disbelief.

Thanawat stepped forward, towering over him as Laurent dropped to his knees.

He aimed again.

"Thanom died protecting something worth saving."

Thanawat’s voice was quiet—but lethal.

"You? You die for nothing."

Another gunshot.

A clean execution.

Laurent’s body collapsed.

And just like that—the past was avenged.

---

Dew, Ohm, and Sky’s squad pushed deeper into the forest.

Gunfire had stopped.

The night was eerily silent now, except for the pounding of their own footsteps.

Perth’s voice crackled through their earpieces. “He’s moving northeast. Fast.”

Dew clenched his jaw. “Then we move faster.”

Joong barely spared a glance at his injuries. “If we don’t find him first, Jason will.”

Santa cursed under his breath. “Sky better not get himself killed before I get to punch him for being reckless.”

Dunk huffed. “You mean before Nani gets to punch him.”

Ohm, wincing from his wound but still alert, let out a breath. “Nani’s not going to punch him.”

Dunk arched a brow. “You sure?”

Ohm smirked. “No. But he’ll probably kiss him first.”

Santa let out a dry laugh. “That is—if Sky makes it back alive.”

And that thought?

It silenced them all.

Because Sky was strong.

But Jason was a monster.

And the forest was his new hunting ground.

---

Pain burned through Nani’s body, but he barely felt it.

His vision blurred. His limbs were heavy. But none of it mattered.

Because Sky was gone.

And that—that mattered more than anything.

A weak, trembling breath escaped him.

"Sky…"

He tried to push himself up.

A firm hand stopped him.

Gemini.

His grip was steady, but his face was pale from blood loss. "Don't."

Nani’s chest heaved. His throat was dry, raw.

His voice came out hoarse. "Where is he?"

Gemini hesitated.

And that was all Nani needed to know.

Something was wrong.

His pulse spiked.

Nani’s fingers curled weakly into Gemini’s sleeve. “Tell me.”

Gemini sighed, adjusting his position, trying not to jostle his own injury. "He went after Jason."

Nani’s entire body went rigid.

The world tilted.

No.

No, no, no.

Sky was strong. But Jason was—

Nani’s breath hitched.

Not when Jason was still alive.

Not when Sky was alone.

Not when—

He tried to move again.

Gemini caught his shoulder, keeping him in place. “You’re in no shape to do anything.”

Nani’s vision blurred. His body screamed in protest. But his heart—his heart was what truly ached.

He swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “We have to—”

Gemini shook his head. "Thanawat, Dew, and the others are already on it."

Nani’s breath stuttered.

His fingers tightened weakly around Gemini’s sleeve.

"Promise me."

Gemini's usual smirk was nowhere to be seen.

For the first time, his expression was serious.

"I swear it."

But even as he said the words—Nani still felt like he was drowning.

Because Sky had always been the strongest person he knew.

But even the strongest men could fall.

And if Sky didn’t come back—

Neither would Nani.

---

The Hunt Through the Forest

The forest was alive with shadows and chaos.

Sky’s breath was sharp and ragged, his heart pounding a brutal rhythm in his chest. But his grip on his gun never wavered.

Jason was running.

Coward.

Sky moved like a predator, cutting through the undergrowth, dodging fallen branches and uneven terrain. The rage inside him burned hotter than the pain in his body.

Jason had taken too much.

Nani’s blood was still warm on Sky’s hands.

Thupa was dead.

Laurent had escaped.

And Jason was still breathing.

Sky wasn’t stopping. Not now. Not ever.

A sudden flash of movement—Jason up ahead, weaving between trees.

Sky raised his gun.

One shot.

Jason twisted at the last second—the bullet grazed his arm, but he kept running.

Sky pushed harder. Faster. His lungs burned. His muscles screamed. But his mind was singular—

Kill Jason.

A break in the trees. A clearing ahead.

Jason was running out of ground.

Sky fired again—

Missed.

Jason reached a rocky incline, scrambling up the jagged slope. Sky didn’t hesitate. He followed.

Boots against gravel. The sharp scent of damp earth. The rush of wind as the elevation climbed.

Then—Sky saw it.

Beyond the ridge—nothing.

A sheer drop. A cliff.

Jason skidded to a stop, chest heaving.

Sky wasn’t even breathing hard.

He raised his gun.

Jason turned slowly. Bloody. Beaten. Trapped.

But even with a gun aimed at his head—he smiled.

"You’re just like me, Captain," Jason panted.

Sky’s grip tightened.

Jason took a step closer. "You want this. You want to kill me. Don’t pretend otherwise."

Sky’s jaw clenched. His finger twitched over the trigger.

Jason’s voice dropped lower. “Do it.”

Sky could.

He wanted to.

The rage, the grief, the sheer agony of everything Jason had done—

But then—

A voice in his earpiece.

Dew.

"Sky! Where the fuck are you?! Answer me!"

Sky’s pulse stuttered.

His breath came out sharp.

Jason caught the moment of hesitation—and he lunged.

Too fast.

Sky fired—too late.

Jason’s body slammed into his, momentum knocking them both backward—

The ground disappeared beneath their feet.

And then—

They fell.

---

Dew’s boots skidded against the dirt as he sprinted through the trees, his squad close behind.

Perth’s voice had barely crackled through the comms, “Sky’s at the cliffs—

And then—

The gunshot.

The struggle.

And Dew burst through the clearing just in time to see—

Sky.

Jason.

Both of them toppling over the edge.

"NO!"

Dew’s scream ripped through the air.

He ran faster, heart hammering, arms reaching—but they were already gone.

The sound of bodies hitting the water below was deafening.

The rushing roar of the waterfall swallowed them whole.

Silence.

Joong, Dunk, and Ohm arrived seconds later.

Dunk’s eyes were wild. "Where is he?! Where the fuck is Sky?!"

Dew couldn’t breathe.

He staggered to the edge, looking down at the violent river below. Nothing.

No movement.

No sign of Sky.

Just the rushing whitewater, swallowing everything.

Ohm was already grabbing his radio. "We need a rescue team—NOW."

Dunk’s hands shook. Joong’s face was pale.

Dew’s entire body felt numb.

Then, he roared—voice raw, desperate, breaking.

"SKY!!!"

But the river just kept rushing.

And Sky Wongravee was gone.

-----------------------------------------

The End

Author note: Thank you for staying till the end guys. Hope you all enjoy reading this story. 🥰🥰🥰

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I wished I could do this to you, but I'm a reader first before I am a writer 😂😂😂, there must be some of you already cussing me. So I understand that feeling 😆

Let's continue our ride, shall we 😊😊😊

------

Dew's voice was raw as it echoed against the cliffs.

"SKY!"

No answer.

Just the deafening roar of the waterfall.

Dunk was already moving. "We have to go down there!"

Joong grabbed his arm. "We can’t just rush in blind!"

Ohm barked into his radio, “We need search teams at the riverbed, now! Get the medics ready!”

Perth’s frantic voice crackled over the comms. “I lost his signal—Sky’s tracker cut out the moment he hit the water!”

Dew’s hands clenched into fists. “Then we go down there ourselves.”

No hesitation. Not this time.

---

The ground was slick with blood.

The stench of gunpowder still lingered in the air, mixing with the damp rot of the jungle.

Joong led the way through the trees, his rifle gripped tight. His eyes were sharp—searching.

Santa was behind him, bruised, bloodied, but alive. “You think Jason actually survived that fall?”

Joong exhaled sharply. “No.”

Dew caught up beside them. “Doesn’t mean we don’t confirm.”

Santa muttered, “Would rather put a second bullet in his head just to be sure.”

Dunk let out a humorless laugh. “We all would.”

The squad moved fast—urgent, desperate. But under it all, there was something else.

A tension no one wanted to say out loud.

Because they weren’t just looking for Jason.

They were looking for Sky.

And the longer they didn’t find him—the more the fear crept in.

“Over here!” Perth’s voice crackled through their earpieces. “I see something by the rocks. Sending coordinates.”

Joong’s pace quickened. “Move.”

They followed Perth’s guidance, pushing through the underbrush until the trees thinned—

And there, sprawled at the edge of the riverbank—

Jason Blackwood’s corpse.

His body was broken, twisted from the fall. His leg was bent at an unnatural angle, his arms limp in the mud.

But the worst part—

The gunshot wound.

Santa clicked his tongue. “Sky shot him.”

Dew crouched down, inspecting the body. “Yeah. And Jason was dead before he hit the rocks.”

Joong exhaled. His grip on his gun didn’t loosen. “Good.”

Santa nudged Jason’s body with his boot. “So much for the all-powerful crime lord.”

But no one felt satisfied.

Because Jason being dead? That wasn’t the victory they needed.

Dew straightened, his jaw tight. “We need to find Sky.”

Joong nodded. “We spread out. Now.”

---

The jungle stretched endlessly around them.

Dew ran. His heart pounded. His throat was dry.

He didn’t care about the cuts on his arms from the branches.

Didn’t care about the ache in his muscles.

All he cared about—was finding Sky.

"SKY!"

Nothing.

Just the crash of the river.

The wind.

The sound of his own panicked breathing.

Dunk’s voice came through the comms. “Anything?”

“Nothing,” Dew snarled.

Then—

Santa’s sharp inhale. “Wait—what’s that?”

They all turned—

And Dew saw it too.

Something down by the rocks.

Half-submerged in the river, caught between jagged stones.

A body.

Joong cursed. “Fuck—GO!”

Dew’s feet barely touched the ground before he was sprinting.

"SKY!"

No answer.

The squad descended onto the riverbank.

Santa waded in first, hands shaking. He reached out—gripped a shoulder—

And turned the body over.

Dew’s breath stopped.

Sky.

Soaked. Bleeding. Unmoving.

Too still.

---

For a moment—no one spoke.

No one moved.

Then—

Dunk shoved forward, falling to his knees. “Is he—?”

Joong pressed two fingers against Sky’s throat.

Waiting.

Waiting.

And then—

A pulse.

Weak. Faint.

But there.

Joong exhaled sharply. “He’s alive.”

Santa let out a curse. “Fucking hell.”

Dew swallowed the burning relief in his throat. “Then we move. Now.”

Dunk didn’t wait. He hooked an arm under Sky’s shoulder. “Come on, Captain. You don’t get to die on us.”

Santa helped, supporting Sky’s weight.

Dew forced himself to breathe.

Sky was alive.

But barely.

And if they didn’t get him help now—

He wouldn’t stay that way.