Martha's shadowed figure melted back into the forest, leaving an unsettling silence in her wake. I held Ava tightly, feeling the tremors in her small frame, her fear mirroring my own. Martha's parting words echoed in my mind—*I never wanted it to end like this.* But no matter what she had once been, the bond of trust between us had been severed beyond repair.
Ethan turned to me, his face hardened with resolve. "We can't wait here any longer, Alice. Ferraro's men are regrouping, and once Martha tells them where we are, they'll close in."
I nodded, my voice shaking as I whispered, "Where do we go?"
He looked around, his gaze assessing the dark expanse of trees around us. "There's a clearing near the river," he said, his voice low but steady. "If we make it there, we might be able to get a signal strong enough to call for backup. William has people who can get us out, but we need to move now."
