The sun barely peeks through the thick canopy, casting the forest floor in mottled shadows. Jessie stands ahead of you, scanning the twisted, crude obstacle course the mutants have set up—ropes swinging over pits, spiked logs, and traps hidden beneath fallen leaves.

You take a shaky step back. “Jessie… I don’t know if I can do this. It’s… it’s insane!”

She turns to you, calm but firm, eyes locked on yours. “Hey, listen to me. I’ve gone through this before. I survived. You can survive it too. We just take it one step at a time.”

You swallow hard, heart hammering. “One step at a time… right.” You glance at a pit lined with jagged spikes, imagining yourself falling in. Your hands shake uncontrollably. “I—I don’t think I can.”

Jessie crouches down, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Yes, you can. I’ve been here, I know the traps, I know what’s coming. And I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Her calm confidence steadies you slightly. You take a deep breath, nodding. “Okay… okay, I’ll try. But promise me you’ll stay with me.”

She smirks slightly. “Always. Stick close, follow my lead, and don’t overthink it. You panic, you freeze—that’s what the course wants. We don’t give it that satisfaction.”

The first obstacle is a swinging rope over a pit of sharp stakes. Jessie demonstrates first, swinging expertly across. You watch, gripping the rope with sweaty palms. “Alright… deep breath… I can do this…” You leap, heart in your throat, and land safely on the other side.

Jessie claps quietly. “See? Told you. You’ve got this.”