Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 420

A middle-aged woman took a bullet straight to the shoulder.

Blood streaked down her face, twisting her features into something monstrous.

She lunged for Janice, seizing a fistful of hair, and yanked the unconscious girl upright—using her as a human shield.

Eileen’s pupils narrowed, her expression ice-cold, ready to strike.

But a violent gust whipped through the van, and the whole vehicle lurched. An ambush from behind—the driver was in on it too.

The cramped space became a whirlwind of chaos: Eileen against two, the woman wielding a knife, the driver a gun.

Blows were exchanged, bodies slammed against metal. Eileen snatched the knife from the woman, landing a brutal kick to her gut, then spun and snapped the driver’s wrist, pressing the blade to his eye.

A scream tore from the driver’s throat, raw and animal.

As the driver howled, the woman, knowing she was outmatched, wrenched the door open.

A blast of wind roared in.

Eileen squinted against the gale, grabbing Janice—who’d slumped dangerously close to the open door.

With no one steering, the van bucked wildly, threatening to roll at any second. As Eileen hauled Janice to safety, both attackers hurled themselves out of the vehicle.

In that instant, the woman twisted around, lips curled in a bloodstained snarl. She pulled a grenade from her pocket, yanked the pin, and flung it into the driver’s seat.

Eileen saw the grenade. Instinct took over. She threw her arms around Janice and dove from the van.

Boom!

A split second too late. The grenade exploded instantly.

A wall of heat slammed them, threatening to incinerate them where they fell.

The blast wave hurled them through the air.

Eileen shielded Janice’s head, curling herself around the girl and bracing for impact—just as every Crestonia soldier was trained to do: protect the innocent, no matter the cost.

Wham!

They hit the ground, rolling through dirt and leaves. As darkness closed in, Eileen’s only thought was—Don’t let them find the one behind this. This feud is blood-deep now.

—

Gentle sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling her face with warmth.

Eileen surfaced into consciousness to the sound of muffled sobbing.

She forced her eyes open. The sunlight stabbed at her pupils, making her squint.

“Eileen? Eileen? You’re awake!”

A familiar, frantic voice buzzed at her ear.

Eileen frowned, exhausted, and tried to lift her arm. It refused to move.

She tried the other one. No luck.

Eileen: …

This was awkward.

“Don’t move, Eileen, please! You’re bleeding, oh God…” Janice whimpered, voice trembling.

Eileen blinked until her eyes adjusted. She found herself covered in a giant tropical leaf. Janice knelt beside her, her face streaked with tears, eyes swollen and red.

Eileen looked around.

They were in a valley, thick with trees, the grass so tall it nearly swallowed them whole.

She pressed her lips together, then managed, “Where are we?”

Janice looked completely lost, hair wild as a bird’s nest. “I don’t know… When I woke up, we were already here.”

Eileen glanced upward. Overhead loomed a wall of sheer cliffs—no end in sight.

She pieced together the night’s chaos. The grenade, the van, the blast. They must have been thrown off the mountain road by the explosion, tumbling down the cliff and rolling into this valley.

Not a fall—if they’d fallen, they’d be dead. They must have bounced and rolled their way down, landing here by sheer luck.

But the cliffs were impossibly high. Climbing back up was out of the question.

They’d need another way out.

She checked her body.

Left arm—just dislocated. Manageable.

Right shoulder—worse. A branch had stabbed clean through, the bone exposed. Blood everywhere, a chunk of wood still lodged deep.

Her lungs burned. She must have some internal injuries.

Eileen exhaled shakily. “Help me sit up.”

Janice shook her head violently. “No way! You’re still bleeding—”

“Janice. Listen to me.” Eileen’s tone brooked no argument.

Reluctantly, Janice wiped her tears and helped Eileen sit against a tree.

Gritting her teeth, Eileen pressed her left palm to the ground, braced herself, and jerked her shoulder back into place.

Crack.

“Ah!” Janice shrieked.

Eileen stared at her, deadpan. “Did I just set your bone by mistake?”

Janice sniffled. “Eileen…”

With her left arm working again, Eileen turned to her right.

She glanced at Janice, then pointed upward. “Janice, look—a UFO.”

Janice blinked, tears still on her cheeks, and tilted her head to the sky.

In that instant, Eileen grunted and yanked the branch out of her shoulder.

Blood welled up. Janice screamed, hands fluttering uselessly, too scared to touch her.