Story 395: The Reckoning Begins

Zara crouched low beneath the towering pines, her breath visible in the cold night air. The forest was silent—too silent. It wasn’t comforting. She knew the Reapers were regrouping, their forces swarming like locusts behind her.

A flicker of light caught her eye in the distance. A campfire. Zara’s jaw tightened as she adjusted the leather straps across her harness, her handgun resting firmly in her gloved grip.

Survivors.

Carefully, she moved forward, each step calculated, silent as a whisper. As she neared, faint voices drifted through the clearing.

“We move at dawn. Warden says she’s just one person—no way she can escape for long.”

Zara’s lip curled at their arrogance. “We’ll see about that.”

A Reaper’s silhouette loomed near the fire, his rifle slung lazily over his shoulder. Zara waited, counting her breaths. Three seconds. That’s all she needed.

One...