The ground beneath them was slick with mud, each step threatening to send them crashing down. Their boots sank and slid, balance slipping with every stride—but none of them slowed.
They ran.
Behind them, something tore through the undergrowth.
It was gaining.
Zuno's breath came in sharp bursts, his lungs burning as his legs pushed harder, faster—yet it wasn't enough. He could hear it now. The weight of it. The speed.
Too fast.
How long has it been following us?
His face drained of color, fear tightening his chest as he glanced back for only a split second. That was enough.
It was close.
Closer than it should've been.
Claire and Sarah were falling behind.
Not by much—but enough.
Zuno clenched his jaw.
No.
Not like this.
Not on their first mission.
He slowed.
Just slightly at first—then more, until he fell back beside them. His grip tightened around his rifle, fingers locking around the frame as his mind raced.
There wasn't time to think.
Only time to act.
"I'll distract it," he said quickly, his voice low but firm. "When I do, turn and shoot. There's only one—we can kill it."
They didn't argue.
They couldn't.
This was it.
Zuno stopped.
His body turned sharply, boots digging into the mud as he pivoted to face the thing chasing them. His rifle came up in one smooth motion, hands steady despite the chaos pounding in his chest.
The creature didn't slow.
Not even when it saw the weapon.
Zuno fired.
The recoil slammed into his shoulder, but he didn't flinch.
The first shot hit.
It tore into the side of the creature's torso, ripping through flesh and spraying dark matter across the trees. The impact should've staggered it.
It didn't.
The second shot missed, kicking up dirt as the creature surged forward without hesitation.
Zuno pulled the trigger again—
But it was already on him.
The force of the impact knocked the air from his lungs as he was slammed into the ground. His rifle jerked in his hands as the shot went wide, and then—
Weight.
Pressure.
Death, descending.
Black claws came down toward him.
Zuno's vision narrowed.
His body locked.
For a split second, everything slowed.
This is it.
Then—
Gunfire.
A burst of it.
Loud. Rapid. Relentless.
The creature jerked as bullets tore into it from behind, its body convulsing under the barrage. Flesh ruptured. Limbs shredded. Dark, viscous liquid sprayed outward, splattering across Zuno as the force of the shots drove the thing back.
Again.
Again.
Again—
Until it stopped moving.
The creature collapsed.
Dead.
Zuno didn't move.
He lay there, staring upward, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. The world felt distant, muffled—like he was still waiting for the killing blow that never came.
Was this it?
Was this what the war was?
If one nearly killed him…
What would happen when there were more?
Footsteps rushed toward him.
Voices followed.
"Zuno!"
Derrick was the first to reach him, dropping to one knee and grabbing him by the arm, pulling him upright.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Zuno blinked, his eyes struggling to focus.
"I'm… fine…"
His voice trembled despite himself.
Derrick didn't take his word for it. His hands moved quickly, checking for wounds—shoulders, chest, sides. A practiced motion.
Nothing.
No blood.
No breaks.
Derrick exhaled.
"Alright. You're good."
He pulled Zuno fully to his feet, steadying him.
"Then we need to move. That gunfire might've drawn more."
Zuno nodded weakly.
Derrick shifted, slinging Zuno's arm over his shoulder to support him. Zuno could walk—barely—but the shock still clung to him, slowing his movements.
They moved again.
Slower this time.
More cautious.
The forest felt different now.
Less quiet.
More aware.
Zuno pulled himself free after a while, walking on his own again. His legs were shaky, but they held.
His mind didn't.
Questions pressed in, piling over one another.
"Weren't we still far from the front?" he muttered. "Why was that thing out here?"
Derrick didn't look at him.
"I don't know," he said. "Probably doing the same thing we are."
Zuno frowned.
The answer didn't sit right—but it made sense.
In a way.
If they were searching…
Then the enemy was too.
But for what?
The thought lingered as they continued.
Hours passed.
The tension never left.
Eventually, Derrick slowed.
"We need to stop," he said. "Find somewhere defensible."
No one argued.
They were exhausted.
They moved off the path slightly, scanning the area until they found it—a massive tree, larger than the others, its trunk split open just enough to form a hollow space inside.
Derrick approached first.
He checked it thoroughly, stepping inside and scanning every corner before stepping back out.
"Clear."
Zuno entered with Claire and Sarah.
The inside was dark.
The soil was cold beneath them, packed and solid. Thick roots twisted along the interior, pressing into the walls like veins. Only a sliver of light came through the opening.
Derrick stayed outside for a moment.
He said something quietly to Sarah—too low for Zuno to catch—then turned and disappeared into the forest.
Zuno didn't ask.
He didn't have the energy to.
Minutes later, Derrick returned, arms full of branches and broken twigs. He crouched at the entrance and carefully placed them across the opening, layering them until the light disappeared completely.
Darkness settled.
Total.
But hidden.
Safe.
For now.
Zuno leaned back against the rough interior, his body finally giving in. The adrenaline that had carried him this far drained away all at once, leaving nothing but exhaustion behind.
His breathing slowed.
His eyes closed.
And for the first time since the chase began—
He slept.