Evelyn sprinted through the darkness, her heartbeat pounding louder than the shouts behind her. The cold night air burned her lungs, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.  
The Reapers were right behind her.  
The campfires cast flickering shadows through the trees, making it harder to tell where they were coming from. Branches scratched her arms as she pushed through the undergrowth. She didn’t have a weapon, only the knife Lena had given her.  
And right now, that wasn’t enough.  
A gunshot rang out.  
She ducked, instinct taking over. The bullet ripped through a tree beside her, sending splinters flying.  
'They’re trying to kill me now.'  
So much for keeping her alive.  
She slid down a slope, her boots barely finding grip on the loose dirt. The terrain was working against her, roots snagging at her feet, bushes slowing her down but she didn’t have a choice. The deeper she went, the harder it would be for them to follow.  
Then she heard it.  
A second set of footsteps. Fast. Close.  
Someone was gaining on her.  
She didn’t look back. Instead, she tightened her grip on the knife and forced herself to move faster. The trees blurred together. Her breath came in sharp gasps. She had to lose them.  
But the footsteps didn’t stop. Then, a hand grabbed her arm.  
Evelyn twisted, slashing blindly. The blade met resistance, a grunt of pain but the grip didn’t loosen.  
She was yanked backward, her back slamming into a tree. The impact sent a shock of pain through her body.  
Her attacker was already moving. A knee hit her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The knife slipped from her fingers.  
Before she could react, she was pinned against the tree, a cold blade pressing against her throat.  
The face staring back at her was familiar.  
Sarah.  
Evelyn’s mind barely had time to register the betrayal before Sarah whispered, “Shh. It’s me.”  
Evelyn’s body was still tense. “What—”  
“No time. We need to go. Now.”  
Sarah released her, bending down to grab the knife and shove it into Evelyn’s hands. Then she grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward.  
Evelyn’s thoughts were spinning, but she didn’t resist.  
Sarah wasn’t supposed to be here. She was back at camp with the others.  
Unless...  
“Where’s Riley? Mason?” Evelyn asked as they ran.  
Sarah’s grip tightened. “Gone.”  
Evelyn’s stomach twisted. “What do you mean gone?”  
Sarah didn’t answer.  
The trees around them were thinning. They were reaching the river a dangerous place to be caught. The current was strong, the banks steep.  
But right now, it was their only chance.  
Behind them, the shouts grew louder.  
Then...  
More gunshots.  
Sarah shoved Evelyn forward. “Go!”  
Evelyn hesitated for only a second before jumping.  
The cold water hit like a punch, stealing her breath. The current grabbed her instantly, pulling her under.  
She fought against it, her limbs burning. The river wasn’t deep, but the force was enough to drag her down. She kicked hard, breaking the surface just in time to see Sarah diving in after her.  
They didn’t have to speak. The plan was simple.  
Survive.
By the time they dragged themselves onto the riverbank, their bodies were numb. Evelyn coughed, spitting out water as she collapsed onto the grass.  
Sarah was beside her, breathing heavily.  
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The Reapers were far behind now, their shouts drowned out by the rushing water.  
Evelyn turned her head, watching Sarah. “Tell me the truth.”  
Sarah didn’t answer.  
“Riley. Mason. What happened?”  
Sarah stared up at the sky, her expression unreadable. Then, finally...
“They didn’t make it.”  
The words hit harder than any punch.  
Evelyn’s chest tightened. “How?”  
Sarah exhaled, rubbing a hand over her face. “Cain got to them before I did. They fought back. He didn’t care.”  
Evelyn’s hands curled into fists.  
Gone. Just like that.  
She had fought beside them, survived with them. And now... 
Sarah sat up, her expression grim. “We can’t go back. The Reapers will be looking for us. We need to keep moving.”  
Evelyn swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.  
They had lost too much already.  
But this wasn’t over.  
Not yet.
The wind was colder now. It bit at Evelyn’s damp clothes as she and Sarah moved through the trees, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the Reapers.  
Neither of them spoke. There was nothing to say.  
Riley and Mason were dead.  
And Lena…  
Evelyn clenched her fists, the knife Sarah had given her pressing into her palm. She still didn’t understand why Lena had betrayed them, why she had trusted Cain.  
Maybe she never would.  
Sarah kept glancing over her shoulder, her face tense. “We should rest soon.”  
Evelyn shook her head. “Not yet. We need to find shelter first.”  
They didn’t have food, barely any weapons. The night was dangerous, not just because of the Reapers, but because of what else lurked in the dark.  
The infected.  
They were deeper into the forest now, where the trees were thick and the ground was uneven. The sound of the river was far behind them.  
Then Sarah grabbed her arm, stopping her.  
Evelyn tensed. “What—”  
Sarah put a finger to her lips, then pointed ahead.  
A shadow moved between the trees.  
For a moment, Evelyn thought it was a Reaper. But then she saw the way it moved, slow, unnatural. The hunched posture, the dragging footsteps.  
An infected.  
Her pulse quickened. It hadn’t noticed them yet.  
Sarah leaned in close, whispering, “We go around.”  
Evelyn nodded. They stepped carefully, their movements slow and controlled. The ground was covered in dead leaves, and even the smallest sound could draw attention.  
They had almost made it past when.
A branch snapped under Sarah’s foot.  
The infected’s head jerked up.  
For a second, there was silence. Then it let out a guttural growl, its decayed body twisting toward them.  
More footsteps. More growls.  
Not just one.  
Three. Four.  
Evelyn’s stomach dropped. “Run.”  
Sarah didn’t need to be told twice.  
They bolted, weaving through the trees. The infected were fast faster than they should have been. Evelyn could hear them getting closer, their breathless groans sending chills down her spine.  
She spotted a fallen tree ahead. “Jump!”  
They leaped over it just as one of the infected lunged. Its fingers scraped against Evelyn’s boot, but she pulled away before it could grab her.  
Sarah grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward a rocky incline. “Climb!”  
Evelyn scrambled up, her fingers digging into the dirt. Sarah was right behind her. The infected clawed at the base of the hill, snarling and snapping, but they couldn’t climb.  
They weren’t safe yet, but they had a few seconds to breathe.  
Sarah wiped sweat from her forehead. “That was close.”  
Evelyn scanned the area. “We need to keep moving.”  
Sarah hesitated. “You sure you can keep going?”  
Evelyn met her gaze. “We don’t have a choice.”  
Sarah nodded. “Then let’s go.”  
They turned toward the darkened forest, the road ahead uncertain.  
But they had survived the night.  
And that was enough.  
For now.