FOLLOWING THE INJECTION

I was stopped in my tracks by the crisp, piercing gunshot that reverberated through the night. As I turned to face the building I had just run from, my breath caught in my throat and my chest heaved. The world outside had become eerily quiet, yet the light from the laptop continued to glow dimly through the gaps in the boarded windows.

"No," I said, gripping the bag's strap more tightly.

Despite all the voices in my head telling me to go, my feet moved instinctively and pulled me back toward the cabin. There was still Ethan inside. I couldn't leave him, even though he had told me to run. Not after everything, not now.

The dog was no longer barking, and the ensuing silence was oppressive. As I arrived at the edge of the clearing, I crouched behind a tree and looked around, my heart pounding.

The cabin door was open, swaying a little in the wind. Ethan and his successor were nowhere to be heard or seen, and there was no movement within.