The night pressed in around us, it was thick with the scent of oil and dirt.
Somewhere nearby, boots scraped against gravel, the murmur of soldiers passing through the outpost filled the silence.
We crouched low in the shadows of an old storage building. We were barely breathing.
I kept a hand on Luna's back, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breath. She was tense but silent, ears flicking at every sound.
The others were close, Oliver just behind me, Cooper and August pressed against the far wall, and Serena and Ellie huddled near an overturned crate.
We were so close to getting out. Just a few more steps, a few more shadows to slip through, and we'd be past the fence.
Free.
A sudden voice cut through the quiet.
"Find out who left that truck behind."
My stomach twisted.
The voice was deep, authoritative, and far too familiar.
It had to be the general.