“Mommy…” Emma’s voice wobbles, but she keeps running, tiny legs pumping as fast as they can.
“I’ve got you,” I say, breathless. “Just keep moving, baby.”
A gunshot cracks the air.
I scream, shoving the girls ahead of me.
We can’t stop. Wecan’t.
The forest is dense, the fog thick, but I spot something ahead—a clearing. If we can make it there, maybe?—
Another shot.
A tree explodes near us, bark shattering. I duck, shielding the girls with my body. Jason’s laughter rings behind us, taunting.
There’s nowhere to go.
And he knows it.
The forest presses in, thick with mist and damp earth, swallowing the sound of our frantic footsteps. I barely register the branches scraping at my arms, barely register the sting as brambles catch at my jeans.
The twins’ small hands are slick with sweat as I grip them tighter, forcing my legs to move faster despite the burning in my muscles.
Jason is close. Too close.
Emma trips, her tiny cry muffled by the fog. I yank her up, holding her against my hip as Ella clutches at my other hand, barely keeping up. I can’t carry them both.
“Mia!” Jason’s voice cuts through the trees, sharp, furious. “You think you can run from me? You think I’ll let you?”
Terror spikes through my veins, but I force myself to stay focused.
His curses slash through the trees, growing louder, closing in.
My breath comes in ragged gasps, but I push forward, shoving Emma and Ella ahead of me.
“Go, babies. Run!”
Ella stumbles but keeps going, Emma pulling her along.
We hit a slope, the ground tilting beneath our feet. Rocks skid out from under me, but I use the momentum to propel us forward. My mind scrambles for Zane’s lessons, for Asher’s drills, for every scrap of survival knowledge they hammered into me.
Jason is bigger, stronger, but I have more to lose.
The slope steepens, and through the fog, I see it: the lake.
Cold and endless, stretching like an abyss.
Jason is nearly on us. I hear his panting breaths, the snap of twigs under his boots. My body screams for rest, but I don’t stop. We’re out of options.
I stop so suddenly that Ella collides into my side. Emma clings to my neck, her face pressed against my shoulder.
“M-Mommy?” Emma’s voice is small, uncertain.
Jason’s boots hit the ground behind them.
We have seconds.
I spin around, my grip tightening on Ella’s wrist. “Hold your breath,” I whisper.
