After a while Sally woke up, “Come on,” Kayla said, helping Sally stand. “We’ll walk until we see someone. Just a little more.”

Hand in hand, they stepped back onto the road, the morning sun now shining brighter. The journey was far from over, but they were free from the compound. And that, for the first time in days, gave Kayla a fragile spark of hope.

The day was getting hotter, burning on their backs as Kayla and Sally continued along the dusty road. Their steps were slow, their clothes sticking to their skin. Every sound….the rustle of leaves, felt sharper, heavier. Kayla kept glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting to...