The wind clawed at Taryn's face as they moved deeper into the wilderness. The jagged path twisted between cliffs that seemed to reach endlessly toward the storm-darkened sky, the rocky trail slick from recent rain. Every step felt heavier than the last, the cold seeping into her bones, but she forced herself to move forward. There wasn't another option.
The trees grew sparse here, stripped bare by the unforgiving terrain. Their skeletal branches stretched upward like brittle fingers, clawing at the clouds. Overhead, the sky churned in shades of gray and black, thick with the promise of another storm. It mirrored the weight pressing against Taryn's chest, a feeling she couldn't shake.
