The survivors huddled together as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, piercing through the cracks in the battered outpost walls. The eerie silence following the battle was almost deafening, broken only by the occasional creak of the damaged barricades and the soft rustling of leaves. Each breath they took felt heavier, laden with the weight of their exhaustion and the looming threat of the Shadow's return.
Ruby stood at the perimeter, her rifle slung across her back. Her sharp eyes scanned the forest for any sign of movement, her mind a storm of tactical calculations. She hadn't slept, and the toll of constant vigilance etched itself across her features in the form of deep lines and bloodshot eyes. Caleb joined her, his knife strapped securely to his side as he sharpened a second blade with deliberate care.
