Story 392: Echoes of the Hunt

Zara sprinted across the snow, the cold biting her exposed face like a thousand needles. Bullets tore through the air, whistling dangerously close. The Reapers were relentless, their movements precise, mechanical—like predators closing in on prey.

She ducked behind a fallen tree trunk, her breathing measured despite her pounding heart. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of Liv and the others retreating east, just as she'd ordered. Good. If she could buy them enough time, the group might live to see another day.

“Come on,” Zara muttered to herself, reloading her pistol. Her fingers moved quickly despite the chill. “You’ve survived worse.”

A sharp crack split the silence. Zara shifted just in time to avoid the jagged edge of a blade slamming into the wood beside her. Her attacker—a Reaper clad in black armor and a skeletal mask—was already lunging again. Zara rolled to the side, her boots slipping on the snow as she fired two shots.