Aiden's heart raced as the dense jungle swallowed the last slivers of sunlight, casting everything in a dark shroud. The air was thick with humidity, and every step felt like it carried the weight of an invisible predator tracking him through the night. Serena's steady breathing beside him was the only thing that grounded him, but even that wasn't enough to silence the thoughts racing through his mind. They were no longer just survivors—they were being hunted.
"I don't like this," Serena whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling of leaves. Her eyes darted around, every shadow now a potential threat. "We're being followed."
Aiden glanced over at her, his jaw tight. He had been trying to ignore the growing unease gnawing at his gut, but Serena's words only confirmed what he'd feared. Something, or someone, was out there. Watching them.
The traps had been set. The storm had passed. But what they hadn't prepared for was the quiet, calculated fear that gripped them now—an unknown enemy moving in the dark, just beyond the reach of their senses.
"We need to move faster," Aiden muttered, his voice grim. "We can't stay here."
With that, they pushed forward, the flickering light from a makeshift torch casting wild shadows on the trees. Every crack of a branch underfoot, every distant cry of an unseen animal, made them both jump, their senses heightened to the point of exhaustion.
Serena slowed, her eyes scanning the forest around them. "I swear… I heard something."
Aiden's hand instinctively went to the machete strapped to his waist. It wasn't much, but it was all they had. It wouldn't stop a predator, but it might slow them down.
Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance. Aiden's head whipped toward the sound, his instincts screaming that this wasn't just an animal. The air grew even heavier, the oppressive silence that followed louder than any noise.
"Stay close," he ordered, his voice low but firm. Serena nodded, but he could see the same fear in her eyes that he felt.
They began to move again, faster now, every footfall calculated and careful. They had no choice. The jungle was closing in, and they were at the mercy of whoever—or whatever—was out there.
---