Eleanor's pulse pounded between her ribs as she moved carefully across the camp, each step a silent testament to her caution. She found herself wrapped in the night's shadows, the flickering light from the fire casting strange silhouettes across the improvised shelters and jagged barriers. A heavy aroma of smoke and ash lingered, a constant reminder of the tough environment she was in.
Eleanor leaned back against the rough tree trunk, taking short, deliberate breaths. Her pulse beat in time with the fading sound of the guards' footsteps. She could hear dirt crunching beneath their boots and faint, vague talk as they finished their patrol.