The cold night air ripped against Elias' face as he and Sophia bolted through the trees.
Behind them, the black SUVs swerved and roared like mechanical beasts, chasing prey they refused to let escape.
Elias' heart pounded — not just from running, but from the Watch vibrating urgently against his wrist.
The new intuition boost kicked in, and suddenly he knew — without seeing — where a hidden pit lay ahead, where a sniper was waiting on a rooftop beyond the trees, where to veer left instead of right.
It wasn't a perfect vision.
It was more like whispers at the back of his mind, hissing Danger there. Safety here.
---
Sophia kept pace despite a slight limp — an old injury from a hit-and-run accident two years ago while chasing a corrupt politician's trail.
She was tough, but Elias noticed her gritting her teeth harder with every step.
Strength: Unbreakable mental resilience.
Flaw: Physically vulnerable when exhausted.
Age Update: Elias found out — she had just turned 27 last week, but there were no celebrations in a life like hers.
Her shirt was torn on the side, showing bruised olive skin underneath, and blood trickled from a scrape on her knee.
Still, she didn't utter a word of complaint.
Elias admired her for it.
---
Gunshots cracked through the night.
Not warning shots — kill shots.
One bullet tore past Elias' ear so close he could feel its heat.
Another smashed into a tree ahead, spraying bark into the air like confetti.
Sophia yanked him down just before another barrage hit.
They scrambled on all fours into a ditch covered in thorny bushes, hidden from view.
Sophia clutched Elias' arm, her voice low and fierce:
"Listen to me. Those aren't just cops or mercenaries. They're something worse."
"Who are they?" Elias panted.
"The kind of people you don't even whisper about," she said grimly.
"People who own senators like pets. People who erase lives without blinking."
Elias swallowed hard.
The world was much darker than he had ever imagined.
---
As they lay there, tense and silent, a mosquito buzzed around Elias' nose.
He tried to swat it without making noise — and smacked himself straight in the face instead.
Sophia shook silently with suppressed laughter beside him.
"If we get killed, at least we'll die looking like idiots," Elias muttered.
"Speak for yourself," Sophia grinned, wiping tears from her eyes.
That tiny shared moment made the night a little less terrifying.
---
The Watch blinked again, displaying a terrifying new task:
> [Urgent Task: Sabotage their Vehicles.]
Reward: Financial Access — Unlock Hidden Funds ($500,000).
Sabotage their vehicles? Elias thought. They'll kill me if they catch me!
But then he thought about the reward.
Half a million dollars... a small fortune — but more importantly, it would buy them time, resources, and choices.
Choices they desperately needed.
Elias took a deep, shuddering breath.
Sophia grabbed his hand tightly.
"No matter what happens," she whispered, "don't come back for me. Keep running if they catch me."
Elias looked her in the eyes — fierce, green, and unbroken — and made a silent vow:
I'm not leaving you behind.
Not now.
Not ever.
---