The sun was merciless.
Adrian wiped a streak of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, eyes narrowing against the glare bouncing off the cracked road ahead. His shirt clung to him, heavy with blood and grime, but he barely noticed the discomfort anymore.
Pain was secondary. Survival was the only thing that mattered now.
Beside him, Valentina limped slightly, her face pale but determined. Adrian’s gut twisted at the sight, but he didn’t slow down. If he showed weakness now, they were dead.
"You holding up?" he muttered, scanning the tree line as they moved.
"I'm fine," she lied.
He didn’t call her out on it. There wasn’t time.
The road stretched endlessly, winding through patches of dying forest and barren fields. No signs. No houses. No salvation.
Just miles and miles of un
