Nevara
We split at exactly nine.
No speeches. No dramatic send-offs. Just three nods and three different directions as the sun climbed above the treeline and the world narrowed to whatever lay ahead of us.
Jones headed east, whistling like this was some weekend camping trip. Hopkins went south without a word, shoulders set, eyes already distant. I turned north, adjusted my pack, and pulled out my map.
Solo mission. Forty‑eight hours. Extraction at nine a.m. on the third day.
I unfolded the mission card and read it again as I walked, committing every word to memory.
OBJECTIVE:
Reach your designated extraction point by 09:00 on Day Three.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:
Locate and collect all marked signal flags along your route.
Failure to retrieve all flags will result in disqualification.
