New Allies
Ethan's hand clenched his rifle, the weight of it feeling heavier now than ever before. As the group pulled back from the ruined camp, the morning sun glinted off distant figures approaching on the horizon. What was supposed to be a decisive raid had turned into a disaster. Tom was dead, Jake was gone, and now reinforcements were coming.
"They're organized," Mara whispered, crouching next to him. Her sharp eyes tracked the group approaching. "This wasn't just a camp. This was a forward outpost."
Alex stood a few paces away, her back stiff, her mind elsewhere. She had barely spoken since Jake's death, and Ethan could see the cracks forming in her usually steely resolve. He wanted to reach out to her, but now wasn't the time. Not yet.
"We need to fall back," Ethan said quietly, turning to the remaining members of their group. "We don't stand a chance if they catch us out here."
Alex finally moved, her gaze snapping back to the present. "We need to move. Fast. They'll sweep this area soon, and we can't afford to be in their path."
Without waiting for an answer, Alex turned and began walking, her pace quick but steady. The others followed in silence, the weight of their failure and the mounting threat pressing down on them like a suffocating blanket.
Hours passed as they moved deeper into the forest, the sun climbing higher in the sky. The tension between them grew thicker with every step. The constant silence gnawed at Ethan, but he knew that none of them had the energy or the heart to break it. Not after everything.
It wasn't until they reached a small clearing that Alex finally stopped, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She glanced back at the group—Mara, Tom's empty space, and Ethan—and her face hardened.
"We need to figure out where we stand," she said, her voice low but commanding. "We can't keep running like this. We're outnumbered, low on supplies, and if we don't find a way to fight back, they'll pick us off one by one."
Mara looked at her skeptically. "What's the plan, Alex? You've been leading us for weeks, and look where it's gotten us. Tom's dead. Jake's dead. And now they know we're a threat. How do we even begin to recover from that?"
Ethan braced himself, waiting for Alex to snap, but instead, her shoulders sagged. She wasn't going to lash out—she didn't have the strength left for that. She was just… tired. Broken.
"I don't know," she admitted quietly, looking away. "I'm figuring it out as we go."
Mara scoffed, but before she could respond, a sharp sound cut through the tension—the unmistakable crack of a branch breaking nearby.
Everyone froze, instinctively crouching low. Ethan's heart raced as he scanned the treeline. Someone was out there.
Slowly, Alex raised her hand, signaling silence. They waited, the seconds dragging out painfully long.
Then, from the shadows, a figure stepped forward, their hands raised in a gesture of peace. He was tall, rugged, with a rough beard and military gear that had seen better days. Behind him, a small group of survivors appeared, huddled together, their faces pale and gaunt from hunger and exhaustion.
"Easy now," the man said, his voice calm but authoritative. "We're not here to fight."
Alex stepped forward, her gun raised but not aimed directly at the stranger. "Who the hell are you?"
The man lowered his hands slightly, nodding toward his group. "Name's Gabriel. Ex-military. We've been moving through these woods for days, avoiding those bastards who've been chasing you. I saw what happened back there at the camp. You look like you could use some help."
Ethan's fingers twitched on the trigger, his eyes narrowing at Gabriel. He didn't trust anyone these days, and a group of survivors suddenly appearing when they were at their weakest felt too convenient. But Alex didn't lower her weapon.
"And what do you want in return?" Alex asked, her voice cold and measured.
Gabriel chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "Survival, same as you. We're not looking for charity. My people and I… we can hold our own. But we've got no resources left. No ammo, no food. We need to work together if we're going to make it."
Mara, always suspicious, stepped up beside Alex, her bow at the ready. "You expect us to trust you just like that? We don't know anything about you or your group."
Gabriel's smile faded, replaced by a grim expression. "I don't expect you to trust us. I expect you to be smart enough to know when you don't have another choice."
Ethan could see Alex weighing her options, her eyes flicking between Gabriel and the group behind him. They looked desperate, hungry, and scared, but also hardened by the same kind of suffering that had shaped them. Still, this was a risk—a big one.
"You said you saw the camp," Alex said cautiously. "Did you see their reinforcements?"
Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, I did. They've got a lot of firepower coming your way. If we stay out here, we're dead meat. But…" He glanced back at his group, then back to Alex. "We know these woods. We've been surviving out here for weeks. There's a place nearby—an old bunker, hidden underground. It's got defenses. We can hole up there, wait them out."
Alex's eyes narrowed. "And you didn't go there already because…?"
Gabriel sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "We tried. It's sealed off—old security systems we can't get through. But with your help, we could force our way in."
The weight of the decision settled on Alex's shoulders, and Ethan could see the wheels turning in her mind. Trusting Gabriel and his group was a gamble, but staying out in the open wasn't an option either.
Before Alex could respond, Mara cut in, her voice harsh. "We're not just going to walk into some bunker without knowing what's waiting for us. For all we know, you're leading us into a trap."
Gabriel's expression hardened. "I get it. You don't trust me. But right now, you're out of options. Either we work together, or we all die out here."
Ethan stepped closer, his eyes locking onto Gabriel's. "And if we go with you, how do we know you won't turn on us the second we let our guard down?"
Gabriel met his gaze evenly, his jaw tight. "You don't. But I can tell you this—those bastards chasing you? They won't stop until you're all dead. And when they come, you'll need every gun you can get."
For a long moment, the clearing was silent, the weight of the decision pressing down on everyone. Alex's grip on her weapon tightened, her knuckles turning white as she stared Gabriel down.
Finally, she nodded.
"We'll go with you," she said, her voice steady, but there was a coldness to it. "But know this—if you try anything, if you even think about turning on us, I'll kill you myself."
Gabriel didn't flinch. "Fair enough."
They moved through the forest in tense silence, Gabriel's group leading the way. Ethan stayed close to Alex, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. He still didn't trust Gabriel, but he trusted Alex's instincts. She wouldn't have made this call lightly.
As they walked, Gabriel fell into step beside Alex. "I've been watching your group for a while," he said quietly. "You're good. Smart. But you're pushing yourself too hard."
Alex didn't respond, her eyes focused straight ahead.
"You don't have to do it all alone," Gabriel continued. "You've got people who'll follow you, who believe in you. Don't let that guilt eat you alive."
For a moment, Ethan thought Alex would ignore him, but then she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it because I have to."
Gabriel nodded, understanding. "Just don't forget—you're only human."
The bunker loomed ahead, hidden beneath layers of overgrowth and debris. As they approached, Gabriel gestured toward the entrance, a rusted steel door covered in vines.
"Here it is," he said. "Let's see if we can crack it open."
Ethan exchanged a glance with Alex, her face unreadable, before they stepped forward to confront the next obstacle in their survival.
As they began working on the bunker's entrance, a distant explosion echoed through the forest. Reinforcements were closer than they thought.