The forest was thick, the trees towering above them like silent sentinels. The path was narrow, barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side, but they moved quickly, their feet crunching on the dry leaves that littered the ground.  
Evelyn glanced over at Eli, who was leading the way. His movements were sharp, efficient, like someone who’d been surviving in this world for a long time. She could tell he wasn’t just a passerby.  
“How long have you been out here?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation light.  
Eli didn’t look back, his eyes scanning the shadows between the trees. “Long enough to know that trust is a luxury you can’t afford.”  
Evelyn nodded. She had learned that lesson herself. The world had changed. Trust was a dangerous thing now.  
“What about you?” Eli asked after a pause. “How long have you been running?”  
Evelyn hesitated, then replied quietly, “Since it all started. The outbreak… the collapse. Everything.”  
A sharp gust of wind blew through the trees, and Evelyn shivered. The temperature had dropped since they’d entered the forest.  
“We need to make it to the coast,” Eli said, turning slightly to face them. “I’ve heard there are safe zones out there. People organizing. But the path is dangerous.”  
“Dangerous?” Sarah asked, her voice skeptical.  
Eli’s gaze flicked to her, then back to the path ahead. “There’s no such thing as safe anymore. The coast is overrun with bandits, infected, and worse. But it’s the best shot we’ve got.”  
Evelyn exchanged a look with Sarah. “We don’t have much of a choice, do we?”  
Sarah’s expression hardened. “No. We don’t.”  
They walked in silence for a while, the weight of their situation hanging heavy between them. They had no real plan, just the hope that the coast would provide some kind of safety. But Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that even there, they wouldn’t be free.  
“Why are you helping us?” Evelyn asked, her voice barely above a whisper.  
Eli didn’t answer right away, his eyes scanning the path ahead. “I’ve got my reasons.”  
That wasn’t enough for Evelyn, but she didn’t push. Not yet.  
A crack in the distance made her freeze. She held up a hand, signaling for the others to stop.  
Eli instantly went still, his hand resting on the rifle slung across his back.  
They listened.  
A low growl echoed through the trees.  
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Infected?”  
Eli’s jaw tightened. “No. Something worse.”  
The growl was followed by a rustling sound, like something big moving through the underbrush.  
Evelyn’s heart pounded in her chest. She instinctively reached for her knife, but it felt too small, too insignificant against whatever was coming.  
The sound grew louder. Closer.  
And then, from the shadows of the trees, it emerged.  
A creature, hunched over and covered in dark, matted fur. Its eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the dim light like a predator tracking its prey.  
Evelyn froze. The thing was massive, easily twice the size of a normal man, with claws that gleamed in the dim light. It moved slowly, cautiously, like it knew they were there.  
“What the hell is that?” Sarah whispered, her voice trembling.  
Eli didn’t answer. He raised his rifle, his finger on the trigger.  
The creature sniffed the air, its head turning in their direction. It let out a low, guttural sound, like a growl mixed with a snarl.  
Then, without warning, it charged.  
Evelyn didn’t think. She sprinted to the side, dodging the creature’s claws as it lunged for her. The ground beneath her feet gave way, and she stumbled, but quickly regained her footing.  
The creature was fast, terrifyingly fast. It swiped at her, missing by inches.  
Sarah screamed, her machete swinging at the creature, but it barely made a dent in its thick fur.  
Eli fired a shot, but the creature barely flinched.  
“Shit!” he cursed. “It’s too strong!”  
Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She reached for her knife, aiming for the creature’s eyes, but it was like fighting a shadow. Its movements were erratic, unpredictable.  
Then, just as it was about to strike again, there was a loud crack, and the creature let out a deafening roar of pain.  
Eli had fired another shot, this time hitting the creature’s shoulder.  
It staggered back, giving them a brief moment of respite.  
“Move!” Eli shouted. “We need to get out of here!”  
Evelyn didn’t need to be told twice. She grabbed Sarah’s arm, pulling her toward the trees.  
Behind them, the creature roared in fury, its eyes locked on them.  
They ran, faster than before, not daring to look back.  
They had to survive. They had to keep moving.  
Because in this world, there was no such thing as a safe place.
The sound of the creature’s roar echoed in the distance, but Evelyn didn’t dare slow down. Her legs burned, her breath came in ragged gasps, but she pushed forward, dragging Sarah behind her.  
Eli was ahead of them, moving with unnatural speed through the thick underbrush. He was a blur of motion, his eyes scanning every shadow, every corner of the forest. He knew how to move in this world, how to survive.  
Behind them, the creature’s growls faded, but Evelyn wasn’t ready to relax. It had been too close.  
They didn’t speak as they ran, each of them focusing solely on getting away. The trees blurred past them, the ground shifting beneath their feet. It felt like they were running forever, the forest stretching on without end.  
But then, after what felt like hours, they reached the edge of the forest. The trees parted, revealing a cliffside that overlooked a wide, rocky ravine.  
Evelyn stopped, her chest heaving.  
Eli looked back at them. “We can rest for a moment, but we can’t stay here long. The creature’s probably already circling the area, waiting for us to make a mistake.”  
Evelyn nodded, her legs trembling from the exertion. They had made it to the edge, but they still weren’t safe.  
Sarah collapsed against a rock, breathing heavily. “What the hell was that thing?”  
Eli took a deep breath and sat down on a nearby boulder. “That wasn’t just an infected. It was a mutation. Something worse.”  
“Mutated infected?” Sarah’s voice was incredulous.  
Eli nodded. “Yeah. The outbreak didn’t just turn people into zombies. It twisted animals too. Made them stronger, faster, and a hell of a lot more dangerous.”  
Evelyn’s stomach churned. She had seen enough horrors in the last few months to last a lifetime, but this... this was something new.  
“We need to keep moving,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear that clawed at her.  
Eli looked at her, then at Sarah. “You’re right. We can’t stop now.”  
As they started to move again, Evelyn’s mind raced. They had been running for so long, surviving day by day, and yet it felt like they were always one step behind.  
“Do you think the coast will be safer?” Sarah asked, her voice tired but still hopeful.  
Eli glanced over at her. “Safer than here, yeah. But nothing’s guaranteed. It’s a war zone out there.”  
Evelyn wasn’t sure what to think. She had always believed in hope, in the idea that there had to be something better than this. But the world was a different place now, and hope felt like a fragile thing, easily shattered.  
They walked in silence for a while, the distant sounds of the ravine below filling the air.  
Suddenly, there was a sound from behind them, a rustling in the bushes.  
Evelyn froze.  
“Get down,” Eli whispered urgently, pulling them both low to the ground.  
They crouched together, hearts pounding in their chests.  
The rustling grew louder, closer.  
Evelyn’s eyes darted around, searching for any sign of movement. She gripped her knife, ready to fight if they were spotted.  
And then, through the trees, a figure emerged.  
It was a woman, covered in dirt and blood, her clothes torn. She was stumbling, her eyes wild with panic.  
“Please… help,” the woman gasped, her voice trembling.  
Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She stood up, moving cautiously toward the stranger. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”  
The woman’s eyes were wide, almost frantic. “They’re coming… the slavers. They—”  
Before she could finish, there was a loud shout from the trees.  
“They’re this way!”  
Evelyn’s heart sank. Slavers.  
The woman’s face twisted in terror. “They’ll kill me. They won’t stop until they have me.”  
Eli moved quickly, his rifle in hand. “We don’t have time for this. We need to get out of here.”  
But Evelyn couldn’t just leave her. She knew what it was like to be hunted, to be desperate for help.  
“We can’t just leave her,” Evelyn said firmly.  
Sarah gave her a look, her eyes sharp. “Evelyn, we don’t know her. She could be leading us into a trap.”  
Evelyn turned to Sarah, her voice low but determined. “I know, but we can’t leave her. We’ve all been there.”  
Eli sighed, clearly frustrated. “Fine. But we need to move now, before the slavers catch up.”  
The woman looked at Evelyn with a mix of relief and fear. “Thank you… thank you so much.”  
Evelyn gave her a quick nod. “You’ll be safe. For now.”  
They started moving again, the woman stumbling along behind them. Every now and then, Evelyn would glance back, her eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of the slavers.  
But the silence stretched on, and there was no sign of pursuit.  
For a brief moment, it seemed like they might actually make it out of this.  
But Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.  
She had learned to trust her instincts, and right now, they were screaming at her to be careful.  
But there was no turning back now.  
They had to keep moving, keep surviving.  
Because the world was darker than they had ever imagined, and there was no telling who the real enemies were anymore.