The journey to the mountains had tested them in every way possible. The days stretched on longer than any of them had anticipated, and the once lively conversations between Mia, Blake, Aurora, Chad, and Amber had dwindled to a quiet focus on survival. The terrain grew harsher as they climbed higher, the mountain paths becoming narrow, treacherous with loose rocks, and cloaked in thick fog that seemed to swallow everything whole.
Every step felt like a battle against the mountain itself. Cold winds whipped around them, howling through the valleys below. There were moments when the sheer cliffs on either side seemed to close in, trapping them in a suffocating embrace of stone. Mia, feeling the pulse of the earth underfoot, could sense its power, but she also felt the challenge it posed. The mountain was testing her, pushing her to the brink.