Chapter 3: The Voice From the Past
“Open the door, Madison.””
The voice came through the glass again.
Calm.
Confident.
Like the person outside already knew I would obey.
My entire body went cold.
Seven years disappeared in a single second.
I was no longer standing inside my clinic.
I was back in Afghanistan.
Back in the mountains.
Back on the night everything changed.
“Madison?””
Commander Hayes’ voice pulled me back.
I looked at him.
He was watching my face.
“You know him.””
I couldn’t answer.
Because I did.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it through a damaged radio while bullets tore through the valley.
I had heard it when Ethan’s unit went silent.
I had heard it moments before the explosion.
A voice I thought belonged to a dead man.
Rachel stepped closer.
“Who is it?””
My eyes stayed on the door.
“Captain Daniel Ward.””
The color drained from her face.
Commander Hayes immediately looked at her.
“You know that name?””
Rachel didn’t respond.
That was enough.
Everyone in this room knew something.
Everyone except me.
Ghost lowered his body.
His ears pointed toward the entrance.
Not attacking.
Waiting.
The same way he waited before a mission.
I whispered, “He’s scared.””
Hayes looked at me.
“Ghost?””
I nodded.
“He isn’t preparing to attack.””
The dog’s eyes remained locked on the door.
“He’s preparing to protect.””
The words barely left my mouth before the door handle moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
A smile appeared on the other side of the glass.
A shadow.
A silhouette.
“Madison,” the man called.
“You always were the stubborn one.””
My fingers curled into fists.
I hated that he sounded exactly the same.
Older, maybe.
But the same.
I walked toward the door.
Hayes immediately grabbed my arm.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Let go.””
“Not until you understand what you’re dealing with.””
I pulled away.
“Seven years ago, people decided I didn’t deserve the truth.””
My voice shook.
“Today, that ends.””
The commander’s expression softened slightly.
“Madison—”
“No.””
I pointed at Ghost.
“At least he knows who deserves loyalty.””
That hit him.
He looked away.
Rachel whispered, “Don’t open it.””
I turned.
“Why?””
Her face was pale.
“Because Daniel Ward is the reason Ethan disappeared.””
The words landed heavily.
My anger vanished.
“What?””
Rachel looked at the door.
“Ward wasn’t just Ethan’s commanding officer.””
She swallowed.
“He was the man who gave the order.””
The room went silent.
Outside, Daniel laughed softly.
Like he could hear us.
“Rachel,” he called.
“You always did love making things complicated.””
Rachel froze.
I looked at her.
“He knows you’re here.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
She didn’t answer.
That was becoming a pattern I hated.
The lights flickered again.
Then the clinic’s security system beeped.
A red warning flashed across the monitor.
*ACCESS GRANTED.*
My stomach dropped.
“He hacked the system?””
Hayes moved toward the control panel.
“No.””
He stared at the screen.
“He used an old access code.””
“Whose?””
He didn’t answer.
I already knew.
“Ethan’s.””
Nobody spoke.
Ghost suddenly stood.
A low growl vibrated through his chest.
Not at the door.
At Commander Hayes.
The commander froze.
“Ghost?””
The dog stared at him.
Then at me.
Then back at him.
A strange realization crossed Hayes’ face.
“He remembers.””
I frowned.
“Remembers what?””
Hayes didn’t answer.
Rachel did.
“He remembers who was there that night.””
I looked between them.
“Who was there?””
No one spoke.
Then Ghost walked toward Hayes.
Slowly.
The commander didn’t move.
The dog stopped inches away.
For a moment, I thought he might attack.
Instead, Ghost pressed his nose against Hayes’ hand.
Hayes closed his eyes.
And when he opened them, there was pain there.
“He saved my life.””
I stared.
“What?””
Hayes looked at the floor.
“Ethan.””
The name changed everything.
“I was supposed to be the one who died.””
The room became completely still.
Hayes continued.
“The explosion happened because someone changed our coordinates.””
Rachel looked at him.
“Luke…”
“He pushed me away.””
His voice became rough.
“He saw the device before I did.””
I covered my mouth.
“No.””
Hayes looked at Ghost.
“Ethan survived because Ghost dragged him out.””
My heart raced.
“But the report said—”
“The report was false.””
My knees felt weak.
All those years.
All that grief.
A lie.
“Where is he?””
Nobody answered.
I looked at Rachel.
“Where is Ethan?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“He was taken.””
“By who?””
She looked toward the door.
The answer was obvious.
“Daniel Ward.””
I felt something inside me break.
Seven years.
Seven years of believing I had lost someone.
But Ethan wasn’t dead.
He had been stolen.
The door suddenly opened.
Not fully.
Just enough for a man to step inside.
He wore a dark coat.
His hair was graying.
But his eyes were exactly the same.
Cold.
Calculating.
Captain Daniel Ward.
He looked around the clinic.
Then smiled.
“Madison Cole.””
I didn’t move.
“You’re alive.””
His smile widened.
“That’s a strange thing to say to someone who was never supposed to find you.””
Ghost stepped in front of me.
Ward looked down at him.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared.
“You.””
The word came out almost like fear.
Ghost bared his teeth.
Ward took one step back.
“You should have died with him.””
The room went silent.
My heart stopped.
“With who?””
Ward looked at me.
And then he said the one thing I had spent seven years wishing I could hear.
“Ethan.””
I stepped forward.
“Where is he?””
Ward smiled.
“You really think I’m going to tell you?””
Hayes moved beside me.
“Daniel.””
Ward glanced at him.
“Commander Hayes.””
His smile faded.
“I wondered when you would finally stop hiding behind her.””
Hayes’ fists tightened.
“You destroyed his life.””
Ward laughed.
“No.””
He looked at Ghost.
“Ethan destroyed his own life when he refused to follow orders.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“You’re lying.””
Ward looked at her.
“You should know better than anyone.””
The tension became unbearable.
I looked at Ward.
“What did Ethan discover?””
Ward’s expression changed.
For a moment, something like respect appeared.
Then it disappeared.
“He discovered that the military creates weapons.””
I looked at Ghost.
“He discovered that we weren’t just training dogs.””
Rachel whispered.
“Daniel…”
Ward ignored her.
“We were creating soldiers who never questioned commands.””
My stomach twisted.
“That’s impossible.””
“Is it?””
He looked at Ghost.
“Look at him.””
Ghost’s body stiffened.
“He was the perfect result.””
“No.””
My voice was firm.
“He was a dog who served his country.””
Ward smiled.
“That’s what Ethan believed too.””
The way he said Ethan’s name made me angry.
“What did you do to him?””
Ward didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached into his coat.
Hayes immediately moved.
But Ward only pulled out a small device.
A recording.
He pressed a button.
Static filled the room.
Then a voice.
A voice I hadn’t heard in seven years.
A voice that made my entire world stop.
“Madison…”
I grabbed the counter to stay standing.
Because it was him.
Ethan.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
“If you’re hearing this…”
The recording crackled.
“…it means Ghost found you.””
Tears blurred my vision.
Ward watched me carefully.
The recording continued.
“Don’t trust anyone who tells you I died.””
My breath caught.
“Especially the person holding this message.””
The audio cut.
Silence.
Then Ward smiled.
“Now you understand.””
I stared at him.
“You had him.””
“Yes.””
“Where is he?””
Ward stepped closer.
But Ghost immediately blocked him.
For the first time, Ward looked afraid.
Then he whispered:
“Ask Ghost.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Ward looked at the dog.
“He’s the only one who knows where Ethan hid the final evidence.””
My heart pounded.
“What evidence?””
Ward smiled.
“The evidence that can destroy everyone involved.””
Then he turned toward the door.
Hayes moved.
“You’re not leaving.””
Ward stopped.
Without turning around, he said:
“You have three days.””
“For what?””
Ward looked back at me.
“To find Ethan.””
My blood ran cold.
“Or?””
His expression hardened.
“You’ll find out why Ethan made Ghost forget.””
The door closed behind him.
No one moved.
Not even Ghost.
Then the old military tag in my hand suddenly began to vibrate.
I looked down.
A tiny piece of metal had slid open.
Hidden inside was a message.
Four words.
May you like
Four words written in Ethan’s handwriting.
*DON’T TRUST THE DOG.*
