Karl Gordon Is Back

Chapter 20: The Undead

Karl barely felt the weight of the document in his hand as he stepped out of the café.

His thumb slid over the corner of the document as if the paper might disappear if he stopped touching it.

It was done.

Ruchie Emold had signed the agreement.

For the first time in weeks, his chest did not feel tight. His hands touched the folder again, he had a chance at his inheritance.

Fucking hell, he still couldn't believe it! His hard work had paid off.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. The screen lit up.

Anna.

His fingers paused mid-reach, he had not heard from her since the hospital. He had called, left messages, stared at his phone long enough for it to dim again and again.

He picked it up immediately. “Anna?”

Her breath rushed into his ear before her voice did. “Karl… I need you to listen to me. Please.”

The tension in her tone tightened something behind his ribs. He pulled to a stop, eyes flicking briefly to the road ahead.

“What’s wrong?”

“I wasn’t supposed to hear it,” she said, her voice hurried, “I went to drop my resignation letter at your house but then I stopped because I heard Melody and Caden talking.”

His hand tightened around the phone. “Melody and Caden? Talking about what?”

Her breath stuttered. “You.”

“Me?”

“Karl,” she whispered, “they’re serious about it and I'm scared. They've been taking advantage of you and...”

“Anna, slow down.”

“They said…” Her voice broke. She swallowed audibly. “They said you were getting in the way. They are trying to kill you!”

His heart slammed against his chest. He felt it settle in his chest in a way he did not like.

“How? Did they say how?”

Anna starts to cry, “Karl, where are you? You need to get to safety!”

“Anna, slow down and tell me how. Did you hear how they want to get rid of me?”

“They..” she rushed on. “Caden said he would have someone run you off the road. I heard him say it. Melody has your location and….”

A heavy truck rumbled beside him in the next lane and swerved suddenly, heading straight for Karl.

Karl barely had time to register the movement to his left before the car slammed into him.

His phone slipped out of his hand and his body lifted off the ground, swin8ng off the side of the road and slamming hard against the floor.

Everything went silent.

For a moment, Karl could not breathe.

His chest burned as he dragged in a shallow, painful breath. A sharp ache spread through his shoulder and neck. His ears rang loudly, drowning out the faint distant sounds of traffic.

He blinked, eyes fixed on the truck that hit him and the driver's face but his vision blurred and his head throbbed.

His body felt heavy. He shifted slightly and winced as a sharp pain shot through his side.

The door on the truck driver’s side creaked open.

Footsteps approached.

A man leaned in, breath shallow and quick, eyes scanning Karl’s body. Karl remained still, his body refusing to move.

The man stared at him for a long second and then stepped back. He returned back his truck and drove away, leaving him by the roadside to die.

Karl lay still, the ringing in his ears pulsed. He could feel warm liquid sliding down his temple, dripping slowly onto the collar of his shirt.

He was alone. The road was empty for miles and miles, there's no help coming his way fast enough.

A soft, broken sound escaped his throat as he tried to inhale deeply again.

It hurt.

But it hurt in a way that told him something else too, he was still here.

His fingers twitched, his legs responded when he willed them to.

The realization came slowly as if he were afraid to trust it. He wasn’t dead.

He pressed his palm against the floor and tried to push himself upright. Pain shot through his shoulder, earning a groan.

His breath hitched and he paused, fighting through the dizziness that washed over him.

He had died once and was granted a second chance. There's no way in hell he'd let this be the end of his story…

Karl braced his jaw and forced himself to move. He slid his legs up, boots scraping against gravel as he carefully shifted his weight onto his feet. His knees buckled.

He grabbed the metal by the guardrails and held himself upright. The world swayed. He closed his eyes briefly and waited until the spinning stopped.

Blood ran down the side of his face, warm against his skin. His shirt was torn at the shoulder, stained dark where it had rubbed against the ground.

His hand reached for the folder on the road and picked it up.

“I..I am not dying anything soo.” He said under his breath, barely able to hear his own voice.

He straightened slowly, each breath pulled sharply through his chest. He took one step. Then another.

He took a different route, one no one ever passed by to the Gordon Empire. If Caden and Melody did plan this, it was best they believe he was dead.

He began walking, even though every movement hurt. Every few steps, his balance faltered and he had to steady himself again.

But he kept going.

By the time he reached the front entrance of Gordon Empire, his breathing was shallow and strained. He had passed through the back of the company, the parking lot that held Maxwell's personal elevator to his office.

As expected, the lot was crawling with security detail. He approached gardless. Security froze at the sight of him. Blood. Torn clothes and crazy eyes.

“I need to see Maxwell Gordon,” Karl said hoarsely.

They had no clue who he was but his current state was enough to tell them it was urgent.

Everything blurred briefly as he was ushered inside, guided into a quiet executive corridor.

A door opened and Maxwell looked up from his desk.

“What the hell..” Maxwell said slowly, standing on his feet.

His old eyes scanned his grandson in disbelief. Karl stepped forward and placed the folder on the desk between them.

“The agreement,” he said, his voice barely steady as he pushed it closer. “It's signed.”