Chapter 24

The flickering light from the fire cast unsettling shadows across Marcus's face, making his features appear sharp and predatory. I felt a wave of apprehension wash over me as I stared at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“What do you mean we’re not hidden?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt. “Are they close?”

“Not yet,” Marcus replied, his tone casual, almost dismissive. “But they’re looking for you. I overheard some chatter. They’re not going to stop until they find you.”

I exchanged a glance with Caleb and Kael, both of whom were now awake and alert. Kael's hand instinctively went for his knife again, while Caleb stood up, placing himself between me and Marcus, a protective instinct flaring to life.

“Why should we trust you?” Caleb demanded, his voice low and guarded. “You disappeared on us.”

“I had my reasons,” Marcus shot back, irritation flaring in his eyes. “I was gathering intel. You’re not the only ones with enemies. My life’s on the line too, you know.”

“Your life?” Kael scoffed, lowering his guard a fraction but still standing close to me. “You’re not the one hiding in an old cabin, hoping no one finds you.”

Marcus took a deep breath, as if to regain his composure. “Fine. I’m here to help, but I can’t do it alone. We need to move. I’ll take you to a safer location.”

“A safer location?” Caleb echoed, skepticism dripping from his words. “And how do we know it’s not another trap?”

“Because if I wanted to trap you, I wouldn’t have come back,” Marcus replied, frustration evident in his voice. “You’re valuable to me. I can help you stay alive. We can either work together or keep hiding in this shack, waiting for the inevitable.”

Kael crossed his arms, still unconvinced. “And what’s in it for you?”

“Let’s just say I have my own enemies to deal with,” Marcus said, his expression darkening. “I need you safe so we can sort this mess out together.”

I hesitated, feeling the weight of our situation. “What if we refuse? What’s the worst that can happen?”

“The worst is they find you,” Marcus replied, his gaze piercing. “And then it’ll be game over for all of us.”

The air was thick with tension as we weighed our options. I could see Caleb wavering, the instinct to survive battling with the distrust we felt toward Marcus. Finally, I spoke up.

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” I looked at Caleb and Kael, who both seemed to be considering my words.

Caleb sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fine. But we’re keeping our guard up. You lead, but we follow.”

Marcus nodded, relief washing over his features. “Good choice. We’ll need to move fast. Pack only what you can carry. We leave in five minutes.”

As we scrambled to gather our belongings, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap. The cabin, once a refuge, now felt like a gilded cage. I stole a glance at Marcus as he organized a few supplies he had brought with him, wondering what his true motives were.

With our few belongings packed, we stepped outside, the cold air hitting us like a wall. Marcus led the way, slipping back into the trees, moving with an agility that suggested he had done this before.

“Stick close,” he instructed, glancing back at us. “We can’t afford to make noise.”

The forest felt alive around us, the rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig heightening the sense of urgency. My heart raced as I followed Marcus, casting furtive glances behind us, expecting shadows to emerge from the darkness.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Marcus stopped suddenly, raising a hand. “We need to take a different route. This way.”

We veered off the main path, following him deeper into the woods. The darkness wrapped around us like a cloak, obscuring everything except for Marcus's figure ahead. I could feel Caleb’s tension beside me as he kept glancing back, and Kael stayed close, ready for anything.

“Where exactly are you taking us?” Kael asked, trying to mask the fear in his voice with bravado.

“There’s an old safe house a few miles from here,” Marcus replied, his voice low and steady. “It’s been abandoned for years, but it’ll do for now.”

“Abandoned?” Caleb echoed incredulously. “How do we know it’s not booby-trapped?”

Marcus shot him an irritated look. “Trust me. I wouldn’t lead you into danger. You’d be dead already if I wanted that.”

“Right,” Kael muttered. “I just love being at the mercy of a stranger.”

The tension hung thick in the air, each of us grappling with our doubts. After a few more minutes of navigating the dense forest, Marcus finally slowed his pace, signaling us to stop.

“Here,” he whispered, pointing to a clearing up ahead. “The safe house is just beyond that tree line.”

We cautiously approached the clearing, the silhouette of a dilapidated structure coming into view. The old cabin was surrounded by overgrown weeds and gnarled trees, its windows shattered and the roof sagging in places.

“Welcome to your new home,” Marcus said, his tone betraying a hint of sarcasm.

Caleb and Kael exchanged skeptical looks. “This looks worse than the last one,” Kael murmured, scanning the area for any signs of danger.

“Don’t let the appearance fool you,” Marcus replied, moving to the door and testing it. It creaked open reluctantly, revealing a dim interior filled with dust and shadows. “We can reinforce it and make it livable. But first, we need to secure the perimeter.”

As we stepped inside, the musty air enveloped us. Caleb immediately moved to check the windows while Kael surveyed the single room, his face a mask of distaste. I lingered by the door, watching Marcus as he moved with purpose, his demeanor shifting from a casual smirk to a serious focus.

“Where do you keep the supplies?” I asked, glancing around. “And what if they find us here?”

“I’ve got a few weapons stashed in case things get rough,” Marcus replied, his tone steady. “But you need to trust me. We can’t keep looking over our shoulders forever. We need a plan.”

“I don’t want to trust you,” Caleb said bluntly, stepping into the room. “You keep saying we’re in danger, but you’ve also been pretty shady about your own motives.”

Marcus sighed, exasperation creeping into his expression. “I get it. You’re suspicious. You should be. But I’m trying to help. We can deal with our enemies together, but we need to trust each other first.”

“Trust is earned, not given,” Kael said, his tone firm. “You haven’t given us a reason to believe anything you say.”

Before Marcus could respond, a distant sound shattered the tense air — the unmistakable crack of a branch snapping outside the cabin.

We froze, the gravity of the moment crashing down on us. My heart raced as I exchanged panicked glances with Caleb and Kael.

“Get down,” Marcus ordered, his voice low and urgent.

We dropped to the ground, huddled together as we waited for whatever was outside to reveal itself. The sound of footsteps approached, deliberate and measured. My breath hitched in my throat as the figure emerged from the darkness, stepping into the weak light spilling from the cabin.

It was a tall man with a hood pulled low over his face, obscuring his features. The tension in the room reached a breaking point as we stared at him, each of us preparing to react.

Marcus rose cautiously, moving toward the door. “Stay back,” he warned us quietly.

“Who are you?” the man demanded, his voice gravelly and cold. “And what are you doing here?”

“Jake?” Marcus asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

The man nodded, pulling back his hood to reveal a familiar face — one we thought we’d left behind.

“I heard you were in trouble,” Jake said, his expression unreadable. “Thought I’d come and see for myself.”

“Now is not the time for reunions,” Caleb snapped. “What do you want?”

Jake stepped closer, the tension in the air thickening. “I can help you. But you need to trust me. They’re closing in.”

I glanced at Marcus, searching for any hint of betrayal, but his expression was hard to read.

“We need to talk,” Marcus said, crossing his arms as he regarded Jake warily. “But we need to make sure we’re safe first. We don’t have time to waste.”

Jake nodded, glancing back at the door as if sensing the danger lurking outside. “Then let’s move before it’s too late.”

As we huddled together, uncertainty gnawed at me. I knew we were risking everything by trusting these two. But as the night deepened, one thing was clear: if we were going to survive, we’d have to confront the shadows that loomed over us — together.