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King of the Mountain Chapter Eight: The Curtain Falls.
Who will survive the one-way trip up the mountain?
The time had come, and there was no turning around now. I looked up at the mountain that Ben had picked. A smile crept over my face. He was sure of himself. On the other side, I was sure he thought I knew he would pick this one, just as sure I already knew where we would meet.
“You got this kid,” Pete said.
I nodded as I waited for the signal. There it was; a flare went into the sky just above the ridge. I ran as fast as I could up into the tree line.
It was going to be cold tonight. It might even drop below freezing, the last freeze of the winter.
The snow had already started to melt, but there were still large patches leftover up here. It was still cold enough to keep it around for another few weeks.
My heart was pumping hard as I pushed myself hard. I knew on the other side Ben was doing the same thing.
“You still want to do this?” Ben asked over our walkie-talkies.
He was old school. I wanted to use satellite phones, but he was the King, and I was the challenger, so I was on his turf.
“Less talking, more running,” I said as I looked up. The tall mountain face…
