The forest seemed to close in around Brielle, the trees looming like silent sentinels as she fled deeper into the heart of the wilderness. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her lungs burning with each desperate stride, but she dared not slow her pace.

Evan's soft whimpers echoed in her ears, a constant reminder of the precious cargo she carried – a reminder of why she had to keep moving, to put as much distance between them and the horrors they had narrowly escaped as possible.

Branches whipped at her face, leaving stinging welts in their wake, but Brielle pressed on, driven by a single, unwavering purpose: to find sanctuary,...