Chapter 66: The Edge Of The Blade

The first rays of sunlight sliced through the dense canopy, casting fractured light patterns on the forest floor. 

The outpost was still—too still. Every creak of the old wooden walls seemed deafening, and every gust of wind outside felt like a warning.

Emily crouched behind the barricade she and Theo had hastily constructed overnight, her rifle resting on a stack of overturned crates. 

Her muscles ached from exhaustion, and her fingers trembled from hours of gripping the cold steel of her weapon.

"They're out there," Theo muttered.

Emily glanced at him. He was sitting against the far wall, clutching his sidearm. 

Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and his face was pale under the thin layer of grime.

"They're waiting," Damien said, his voice low but steady. 

He stood near the single, narrow window, his silhouette sharp against the faint morning light.

Emily swallowed hard. "For what?"