I run, my lungs burning and my muscles screaming with every pounding step. The forest blurs around me, a kaleidoscope of muted greens and browns as I push myself harder, faster, desperate to put as much distance as possible between myself and the horrors I've left behind.

I dare a glance over my shoulder, half expecting to see Ember and her minions bearing down on me, their faces twisted with rage and bloodlust. But there's nothing, only the eerie stillness of the woods and the echo of my own ragged breaths.

Still, I don't slow down. I can't. Not when every fiber of my being screams at me to keep...