The sound of gunfire and metal hitting wood shattered the silence of the cabin.
Ethan threw himself behind the wall, breathing hard.
"Okay… pretty sure this ain't a joke anymore."
Fayra calmly spun her wrist as blue flames danced from her fingertips.
"You think?! Yeah, babe… those bullets are real."
Luna, hiding behind the chess table while shoving the king piece into her pocket, mumbled,
"Well… if they kill me, I can't win… so we're staying alive!"
Selena leaned by the window, her sharp eyes peeking through the curtain.
"Five of 'em. All masked. One of 'em… looks like a shadow."
Alice, as calm as ever, closed her notebook and said,
"Well, it's either fight… or run."
Ethan stood up, dusted off his pants.
"Option two. For now."
They bolted out the back door.
The thick forest mist swallowed their footsteps. The air smelled like burnt wood and damp moss.
Fayra muttered,
"We gotta head for the lake. Open ground… less places to ambush."
Luna, running alongside, said,
