The wind had changed. It carried the scent of damp earth and blood, a reminder of the fight they had barely escaped. Evelyn adjusted the strap of her backpack, her grip tightening around her knife. There was no more running. No more hiding.  
They would end this tonight.  
Eli reloaded his rifle, his movements quick and practiced. “We don’t have numbers on our side,” he said, glancing at the others. “We need to be smart.”  
Sarah smirked. “Good. I prefer smart over running into gunfire like an idiot.”  
Claire sat on a fallen log, rubbing her wrists like she was still feeling the weight of unseen chains. “They have a camp not far from here,” she said. “It’s small, maybe five or six of them left. They weren’t expecting trouble.”  
Evelyn looked at her. “Where?”  
Claire hesitated, then pointed toward the north, where the trees thickened into a dense patch of woodland. “Beyond those trees, near an abandoned cabin. That’s where they take prisoners before moving them to the main trade route.”  
Eli exhaled. “We move at night. Catch them off guard.”  
Sarah crouched beside him, drawing a rough map in the dirt with her knife. “If we come from the east, we can use the tree line for cover. Eli, you take the high ground near those rocks. Evelyn and I will get close. Claire…” She paused. “What can you do?”  
Claire didn’t flinch at the question. “I can distract them.”  
Eli frowned. “How?”  
Claire’s expression darkened. “They still think I’m one of them.”  
Silence settled over the group.  
Evelyn studied Claire’s face. She wasn’t sure if it was bravery or desperation that made her volunteer for something this dangerous. Maybe both.  
Sarah was the first to speak. “If she’s lying, she’ll turn on us the second we get there.”  
Claire looked straight at her. “Then kill me.”  
Evelyn didn’t miss the way Claire’s hands trembled, but her voice was steady.  
Eli muttered a curse under his breath. “This is insane.”  
Evelyn made her decision. “We do it.”  
Sarah didn’t argue. Eli just sighed, shaking his head.  
Claire let out a breath. “We need to move soon. Before they realize I’m gone.”  
Evelyn adjusted her grip on her knife. “Then let’s hunt.”  
They disappeared into the night, shadows among the trees, heading straight into the fire.  
Because survival wasn’t just about running.  
It was about fighting back.
The forest was eerily silent as Evelyn and the others crept through the undergrowth, staying low. Every step was calculated, every breath controlled. The slavers’ camp was just ahead, nestled near the abandoned cabin Claire had described. A faint glow of firelight flickered through the trees.  
Eli took his position on the ridge, rifle ready. Sarah gripped her machete, her fingers twitching with anticipation. Claire adjusted her torn jacket, her face set in a mask of determination.  
Evelyn whispered, “You sure about this?”  
Claire nodded. “I need them to believe I never left.”  
Evelyn didn’t trust her completely, but doubt had no place now. She signaled for Claire to move.  
Claire walked into the clearing, her steps hesitant but purposeful.  
One of the slavers, a tall man with a scarred face, looked up from the fire. “Where the hell have you been?”  
Claire swallowed hard. “Scouting. Got separated in the fight.”  
Scarface narrowed his eyes. “Liam’s dead. You know anything about that?”  
Claire’s hands curled into fists at her sides. “No. I barely got away myself.”  
Evelyn held her breath, hidden behind the trees. If they saw through Claire’s lie, this would turn ugly fast.  
Another slaver stood, reaching for his gun. “If you barely got away, how come you’re not injured?”  
Claire hesitated for half a second.  
Then Sarah struck.  
A flash of steel. A gurgled scream. The man with the gun collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.  
Eli fired from the ridge, dropping another before the others could react.  
The camp exploded into chaos.  
Evelyn charged forward, knife slicing through the air. A slaver lunged at her, but she ducked low, driving her blade into his ribs.  
Claire, caught in the middle of the ambush, turned, grabbing a fallen knife and slashing at Scarface before he could reach his gun.  
It was over in seconds.  
Bodies lay still, the fire crackling beside them. The only sound left was the ragged breathing of the survivors.  
Claire knelt beside Scarface, staring at his lifeless eyes. Her hands shook, but she didn’t look away.  
Evelyn crouched beside her. “It’s done.”  
Claire exhaled sharply. “Not yet.”  
She stood and pointed toward the cabin. “There are still prisoners inside.”  
Evelyn met Eli’s gaze. He gave a nod.  
Sarah wiped her blade clean. “Then let’s finish this.”  
They moved toward the cabin, stepping over the bodies of the men who had once hunted them.  
Tonight, the hunted had become the hunters.