Survival

*(Lena’s Point of View)*

The air in the tunnel was thick and damp, and each step felt harder than the last. Lily was heavy in my arms, but I didn’t care about the fatigue. What mattered was keeping her safe.Mia moved quickly ahead, familiar with the narrow paths. Kael followed close behind, always alert. His presence was both comforting and unsettling. He seemed to be on the verge of some inevitable decision.

I knew Kael carried the guilt of what had happened to Earth, even if he didn’t say it. He didn’t have to—it was in his eyes, in the way he hesitated to get close to people.** He saw himself as an intruder in a devastated world. And now he was here, trying to protect something he didn’t even believe he deserved.

“We’re almost there,” Mia whispered, extinguishing the candle to avoid drawing attention.

Then we heard the footsteps.

At first, they were faint, just a rustling among the debris, but soon they grew into quick, rhythmic strides—**hunters.**

“Damn it,” Mia hissed. “Run!”

And we ran. There was no time to think. It was run or die. The hunters spared no one.

Kael took Lily from my arms, holding her as if she weighed nothing. The little girl clung to him, still asleep, unaware of the danger around us. Mia and I struggled to keep up, but the footsteps behind us grew closer.

“We won’t outrun them!” Mia whispered in panic.

Kael stopped abruptly and turned toward us. Something changed in him at that moment. I saw his eyes glimmer in the dim light—no longer hesitant, but full of resolve.

“Keep going,” he said, his voice steady and low.

“What?” Mia’s eyes widened.

“I’ll stay,” Kael said, carefully placing Lily back in my arms. “I’ll handle this.”

“Kael, no!” I knew what he was about to do, but the decision was already made.

“Lena,” he looked at me with a serious, intense expression. “You need to keep going. Now.”

Without giving us a chance to argue, he turned and walked back toward the approaching hunters, his body tense and ready for battle.

I wanted to stop him, to scream, but my legs wouldn’t obey. Something in his gaze told me that this fight wasn’t just for us—it was something deeper. Perhaps Kael believed this was the only way to atone for what he and his people had done.

“Let’s go!” Mia pulled my arm, and we ran ahead through the tunnel. With each step, it felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind, along with Kael. He was fighting alone.

The hunters appeared at the bend in the tunnel—five of them, with hungry expressions and cruel smiles. They carried not only weapons but the desperation of those who had lost their humanity.

Kael stood in the middle of the path, his body rigid like stone. He wasn’t like them. He never had been. But at that moment, he would use every skill he’d acquired from years of war to ensure Lena and Lily escaped.

The leader of the hunters spotted him first and let out a low laugh. “What do we have here? A damn alien.”

Kael didn’t respond. There was no room for words.** Only action.

The first hunter lunged with a knife, but Kael was faster. With a smooth movement, he grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it sharply until a sickening crack echoed in the tunnel. The man’s scream was cut short, replaced by the dull thud of his body hitting the ground.

The others hesitated for a moment, but hunger and madness were stronger than fear. They charged together, hoping to overwhelm him.

Kael moved like a shadow. Every strike was calculated, precise. He disabled the second man with a kick to the knee, broke the third’s nose with an elbow, and slammed the fourth into the wall so hard that he passed out instantly.

They were no match for him.They didn’t know they were facing someone trained to survive wars far more brutal than theirs.

The last hunter tried to run, but Kael caught him in seconds. He brought him down with a swift blow and pinned him to the ground, breathing heavily.

For a moment, Kael hesitated. He didn’t want to be a monster. But if he let this man live, he would return with more hunters. He would come back to hurt Lena and Lily.

With clenched teeth, Kael let out a low growl and ended it quickly and silently. There was no other choice.

Kael stood there for a moment, surrounded by the bodies. His heart raced, but it wasn’t fear—it was something darker.The echo of that violence was part of him, whether he liked it or not. It always would be.

When Kael caught up with us, I didn’t need to ask what had happened. The blood on his hands was answer enough.

“Are you… okay?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Kael gave a small nod, his eyes fixed on mine. There was no pride in his expression, only acceptance. He knew what he was—and what he would have to keep being to keep us alive.

“They won’t follow us,” he muttered.

Mia let out a relieved sigh, but a knot tightened in my stomach. I knew Kael had killed for us. And I knew he would do it again.

Without another word, he took Lily from my arms and held her with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the violence he had just unleashed.

“Let’s keep moving,” Mia said, breaking the silence.

Kael nodded, and we continued down the dark tunnel. But something had shifted between us. Kael had crossed a line, and I didn’t know if he could come back from it.

As we moved forward, one certainty filled me: he wouldn’t hesitate to become a monster to protect us.And as much as that terrified me, a part of me was grateful for it.