In the absolute darkness.
River and her cohort trudged through the absolute darkness, their breaths labored and heavy. The oppressive silence that engulfed them was broken only by their weary footsteps.
Each step felt like it dragged on forever, their legs barely able to keep pace after running for what seemed like hours. The memory of the shadow man—his eerie, unsettling presence—loomed over them, gnawing at their nerves.
Alice stumbled, catching herself just before hitting the ground. "We can't keep going like this," she gasped, her voice trembling with exhaustion. "We need to go back. At least in the city of darkness, we had some sense of where we were. Here... we're just wandering aimlessly!"
River, at the front of the group, didn't slow her pace. Her posture was rigid, shoulders set as if every step was fueled by sheer will. "We're not going back," she said firmly, her voice cold and resolute.
