Your lungs burned as you pushed through the dense forest, the distant screams from the train fading but echoing in your mind. Branches scratched at your arms, and the cold night air chilled your skin, but you didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop.

Your foot caught on a root, and you tumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. Pain shot through your palms as they scraped against the rough dirt. You gasped, rolling onto your back, trying to catch your breath.

The sound of footsteps approached—heavy, deliberate. Your heart leapt into your throat. You scrambled for a rock, clutching it tightly as the figure emerged from the shadows.

“Woah, woah! Easy!” The voice was calm but commanding.

You froze, the rock trembling in your grip. The figure stepped closer, hands raised in a gesture of peace. In the faint moonlight, you saw the glint of a badge on his chest and the silhouette of a rifle strapped across his back.

“Are you hurt?” the man asked, his voice steady but laced with urgency.