Dan, gasping for breath, grabbed Lydia’s weakening arm. “We need to stop.”
“Can’t,” Lydia rasped, eyes locked on the forest ahead, an endless wall of shadow. Her voice was hoarse, barely louder than the rustling leaves. “They’re still behind us.”
But her steps were faltering. Blood kept seeping from the gash in her arm, soaking through her faded black shirt. Her face was pale, lips cracked and dry. Dan could barely stand himself, thirst and hunger clawing at his gut like wild animals.
They were trapped in a brutal loop: walk, stumble, get up, repeat. The vast Appalachian woods felt more like a maze with no way out.
“If we keep this up, we’ll drop dead before they even catch us,” Dan said, forcing calm into his voice.
Lydia didn’t answer. Her usually sharp eyes were glazed over, unfocu
