life

Zina's POV

The forest swallowed us whole.

Branches clawed at my skin like skeletal fingers, and the underbrush crackled beneath our hurried footsteps. Jared led the way, his knife glinting in the moonlight, muscles tense as he scanned the shadows. I clutched Asher to my chest, his small body trembling, face pressed against my shoulder to block out the darkness.

The night was too quiet. No crickets. No owls. Just the pounding of my heartbeat and the faint rasp of Jared's breathing. The air smelled damp and rotten, like the forest itself was decaying.

"We need to find a road," Jared muttered, voice sharp as broken glass. He kept glancing over his shoulder, eyes wild. "If we follow the treeline, we should—"

A twig snapped behind us.

We froze.

Jared raised a hand, signaling me to stop. He turned slowly, knife raised, scanning the darkness. My pulse thundered in my ears as I held Asher tighter, trying not to breathe too loud.