The service road emerged from the forest like a ghost, its cracked asphalt overrun with weeds and moss. The fading sunlight cast long shadows across the clearing, making it feel more ominous than reassuring. Alex motioned for them to halt, his hand raised in a silent command.
“Wait here,” he whispered. “I’ll scout ahead.”
Ethan nodded, his weapon steady as he took a defensive position. Claire crouched beside the girl, keeping her arm firmly around her shoulders. The young woman was shaking, her breath hitching in silent sobs, but she clung to Claire as if she were the only thing tethering her to reality.
Alex disappeared into the shadows, moving with the silent precision of someone who had done this a thousand times before. Every second felt like an eternity, the tension coiling tighter
