By the time they finally burst out of the villa and into the forest—
Ashley was already ahead.
Not far, not safe, but far enough.
She stumbled forward through the dark, breath ragged, each step sending pain lancing through her body. Still, she bit down hard on her lip, forcing every sound back, refusing to let even a single groan escape as she pushed herself to keep going.
Worse, Ashley's fever kept climbing.
Heat burned beneath her skin, her head pounding in relentless waves while pain tore through the rest of her body. Her knee should have forced her into a limp, but she refused to give in. Gritting her teeth, she pushed past it, forcing her legs to move, to run, to keep going no matter how her body screamed in protest.
Adrenaline carried her, but even that had its limits.
