Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows




My forehead hit the ground, knees sinking into the dirt, as the heavy thud of my bow was drowned out by the rain, each drop begging for his safety. Countless times, my hands came together in prayer, whispering his name.

The gravel had worn my skin raw, and my knees were bruised, yet I only hoped that God would see my sincerity.

With gritted teeth, I climbed the last step, only to see the massive church doors slowly closing in front of me.

Through the narrowing gap, an elderly priest in a dark robe clutched a rosary, his expression solemn and dignified.

"If fate does not bind us, how did we meet? If there were no debts, how could they be repaid? Our ties have always been shallow, now our fate is spent; with fate exhausted, no debts remain.

"Please, go home."

As the church doors shut completely, the echo of a hymn burst through the mountains.

In my daze, I thought someone called my name. But when I turned, there was only the wild, relentless wind.

A tidal wave of confusion and despair engulfed me, leaving me lost and directionless.

That day, I watched his silhouette fade away, saying goodbye. I believed then that I'd wait for years to see him again.

But in reality, our reunion awaited another life.

It was on an ordinary morning, as I walked into the morgue, that I found the person I most wanted to see lying on the table.

"Deceased: Jonah Evans, age 31, male, height approximately 6'1", weight 165 pounds, time of death 48 hours..."

The rest blurred into a dull ringing in my ears.

"Lana, do you know the deceased?"

"No."

"Then you can perform the autopsy."

"Alright."

I feigned calmness. Cassidy gave me a glance but said nothing.

I pried open the stiff right hand, revealing a crumpled ten-dollar bill, folded into a small triangle.

I thought I would break down, scream, or shout. But instead, I felt nothing, as if all emotion had been drained from me, leaving a calm, unruffled surface.

It turns out, when grief reaches its peak, one can suddenly find peace. So calm that I completed the entire procedure without a hitch.

Alongside his body came a video, documenting thirty hours of inhumane torture he endured.

Those drug traffickers burned his

skin, shattered his bones inch by inch with a hammer, whipped him until he was covered in welts. When he was about to lose

ve

consciousness, they salted his

wounds, repeatedly striking his face and head... until he was tortured to death. Content belongs to

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This was the desperate, cowardly retaliation of the largest drug cartel at the border after being dismantled by the government.

Jonah had been undercover for six

years, working with the national police to completely dismantle the notorious border drug cartel. Just as he was about to withdraw safely, his cover was blown, and he was brutally murdered by the traffickers.

In the hospital, Officer Cooper, whom I hadn't seen in six years, lay in a bed, his body swathed in bandages, wearing a blue-striped hospital gown. He's missing a right hand and a left leg.

He said, "Lana, it's been a long time."

I replied, "Yes, it has."

We gazed at each other in silence for a long time. Tears welled up uncontrollably.

"Cooper, what happened?"

He hesitated, his expression pained,

as if the words were too hard to utter. "It was your father. He was tricked into human trafficking at the border Because his deliveries were small and low in success, he angered them. To save his own life, he absurdly offered you as leverage, claiming he could bring his daughter to help them."

Reading History

Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows

Chapter 59

IRUA

Under the Veil I Rule

Chapter 305