"Our attempt at clearing the beasts off the road hasn't worked. It's pointless to keep trying. We have to go back." Dave said.
The words hung in the air like a thick fog, and the man who had questioned him froze for a moment before eventually speaking. A sharp laugh, half in disbelief, half in anger escaped his lips.
"What?! Do you understand what you're saying?" His voice rose, his face contorting with disbelief. "You're telling us to go back? To go back to the direction we just came from? Are you out of your mind?"
Dave's jaw tightened as the man's voice sliced through the tension, the bitter taste of failure still lingering in his mouth. He was beyond tired of arguing, of being challenged at every turn. His patience was running thin, and with each passing second, the weight of their situation pressed down harder on his shoulders.
