The train rattled endlessly through the wilderness, metal grinding against metal, every sound sharp and alive in the morning air. I had drifted somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, my cheek pressed against Adrian’s shoulder, the rhythm of the wheels lulling my thoughts into a fragile calm.
But peace was an illusion — temporary, delicate, like a mirage that faded the moment I reached for it.
Adrian stirred beside me, his body tensing slightly. “We need to get off before noon,” he murmured. His voice was low but firm, the kind that always made me listen.
“Why?” I whispered, blinking the sleep from my eyes.
He turned his gaze to the horizon beyond the open slat of the cargo door. The landscape had changed — the trees were denser, the air thicker, carrying the scent of pine and river w
