Evelyn’s mind raced. The man and his group weren’t just some random survivors, they had been tracking them. And they knew about the stone.  
Claire didn’t move. Her expression was unreadable, but Evelyn could tell she was calculating their chances. The forest was too open. If a fight broke out, they’d be exposed.  
“We don’t have anything that belongs to you,” Claire said carefully. “We’re just passing through.”  
The man smirked. “That so? Then why don’t you hand over the bag?” His eyes locked onto Claire’s pack, he one holding the stone. “No trouble, no bloodshed. Simple.”  
Evelyn felt the tension in the group rise. Sarah and Thomas had their hands close to their weapons. Ben looked ready to lunge at any second.  
“We’re not giving you anything,” Claire said flatly.  
The man sighed. “Didn’t think you’d make it easy.” He raised his hand, and in an instant, his group aimed their rifles at them.  
Evelyn barely had time to react before Claire’s voice rang out.  
“Scatter!”  
Gunfire erupted. The group dove for cover, sprinting into the trees. Evelyn’s heart pounded as she ran, bullets ripping through the branches around her.  
She hit the ground behind a fallen log, gasping for breath. Her ears rang from the gunfire. She turned her head, Sarah was crouched behind a tree nearby, gripping her knife, eyes wild with fear.  
Where were the others?  
More shots rang out. Claire had her pistol out, firing as she moved. Thomas had vanished into the underbrush, and Ben was dragging his injured leg behind another tree.  
Evelyn’s hands trembled. They were pinned down. There was no way out.  
A voice rang through the trees.  
“Enough!”  
The shooting stopped. Evelyn stayed low, her breath caught in her throat. The man’s voice came again.  
“You don’t get it, do you?” His tone was almost amused. “We don’t want you. We want what’s in that bag. Hand it over, and we walk away.”  
Evelyn swallowed hard. They were cornered. No way to escape.  
Claire glanced at Evelyn from her cover, her eyes sharp. She wasn’t giving up the stone.  
Evelyn knew what that meant.  
This wasn’t going to end without a fight.
Evelyn’s grip tightened around her knife. Every breath felt too loud in the silence that followed the gunfire. The man was waiting for an answer, but Claire wasn’t going to give him one.  
“We’re not giving you anything,” Claire said again, her voice firm.  
The man sighed, almost disappointed. “Wrong answer.”  
Evelyn barely had time to react before a sharp whistle rang out. More figures emerged from the trees, stepping over the bodies of the dead slavers they had fought earlier. There were more of them than she had thought. Too many.  
“We need a plan,” Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible.  
Claire glanced around, eyes scanning for an escape. Thomas was still hidden, likely trying to circle around. Ben was too injured to run. Evelyn’s pulse pounded. If they didn’t act now, they were done for.  
Then Claire did something Evelyn didn’t expect.  
She stood up.  
“Wait,” she called out, lowering her gun. “You want the stone? Fine. But we need proof you’ll let us walk.”  
Evelyn’s eyes widened. What was she doing?  
The man grinned. “Smart choice.” He nodded to one of his men, who lowered his rifle and stepped forward. “Toss the bag over.”  
Claire hesitated, then reached into her pack. But instead of pulling out the stone, she pulled out a flash grenade, one of the few supplies they had left from their last raid.  
She threw it.  
The explosion of light and sound was instant. The man and his group shouted in pain, covering their eyes. Evelyn didn’t wait, she grabbed Sarah’s wrist and ran.  
Gunfire erupted blindly, bullets hitting trees and dirt. Ben gritted his teeth as he stumbled after them. Claire grabbed Thomas, who had just emerged from his hiding spot, and the group sprinted through the trees.  
Evelyn’s lungs burned as she ran. The forest blurred around her.  
Then she heard Claire yell. “Down!”  
Evelyn dove just as more shots rang out. A bullet grazed her shoulder, pain flaring hot and sharp. She bit back a cry, pushing herself up.  
“We have to split up!” Claire shouted. “They can’t chase us all!”  
Evelyn hesitated. Splitting up meant losing track of each other. But staying together meant getting caught.  
She looked at Sarah. Looked at Claire.  
Then she made a choice.  
She ran.
Evelyn’s legs burned as she pushed herself forward. She didn’t know where she was running, only that stopping meant death. Branches scraped her skin, her breath came in ragged gasps, and behind her, the gunmen were still chasing them.  
She could hear Claire and Thomas somewhere to her left. Ben was struggling, but Sarah was helping him. Evelyn gritted her teeth. They had to keep moving.  
A gunshot rang out, and she barely ducked in time. A tree trunk splintered beside her.  
Then she heard a scream.  
She turned just in time to see Thomas collapse.  
“Thomas!” Evelyn skidded to a stop, her heart hammering. Blood spread across his side, his face twisted in pain. Claire was already at his side, firing a shot back at their pursuers.  
“We can’t stay here!” Claire barked.  
Evelyn grabbed Thomas’ arm, but he shook his head. “Go,” he rasped. “I’ll slow you down.”  
Claire clenched her jaw. “Not happening.”  
Another gunshot. Dirt kicked up near Evelyn’s feet. They were closing in.  
“We need to get to the river,” Sarah shouted from ahead. “If we cross, we can lose them!”  
Claire nodded. “Move!”  
Evelyn wrapped an arm around Thomas, ignoring how much he weighed, and ran.  
The river wasn’t far, but it felt like miles. Their pursuers weren’t slowing down. More shots rang out, one of them grazing Ben’s leg. He stumbled but kept going, his face pale with pain.  
Evelyn saw the river through the trees, a fast-moving current, deep and dangerous.  
They had no choice.  
“Jump!” Claire shouted.  
Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Thomas and leaped. The cold water hit like a punch, stealing her breath. The current pulled at her, dragging her under.  
She fought, kicking hard, holding onto Thomas as best she could. The world spun.  
Then she broke the surface, gasping.  
Claire and Sarah surfaced nearby, eyes wild. Evelyn twisted, searching, Ben was there too, barely keeping himself above water. But the gunmen were at the riverbank now, shouting.  
Then came more gunshots.  
Bullets hit the water around them, but the current carried them too fast. The last thing Evelyn saw was the man standing at the edge of the river, watching them with cold amusement.  
Then the rapids pulled them away.