The fire from the collapsed lab still smoldered behind them, casting flickering shadows across the ruined landscape. But there was no time to rest.
Valerie packed up the laptop. "New Dawn is two hundred miles west."
Ethan stared at the map, jaw tight. "And we have no idea what we're walking into."
Noah sighed. "When has that ever stopped us?"
Olivia checked her ammo. "Let's get moving before something else finds us."
Blaze barked in agreement. Shadow's tail flicked impatiently.
The group turned toward the abandoned highway, the road stretching into the unknown.
The hunt for Evelyn Carter had begun.
A New Threat
They moved fast, staying off the main roads, cutting through backstreets and abandoned buildings. The world was eerily silent. No signs of life—only echoes of what once was.
As they reached an old gas station, Blaze suddenly froze.
A low growl rumbled from his throat.
Shadow hissed.
Valerie whispered, "Something's coming."
Then—a distant screech.
Noah swore. "Tell me that was the wind."
The skittering sound answered for him.
Ethan gripped his knife. "Positions."
They barely had a moment to react before the shadows moved.
Figures emerged—thin, twisted bodies, glowing blue eyes. But these weren't like the ones from the lab.
They were faster. Smarter. Hunting.
And there were dozens.
Ethan's heart pounded.
"Here we go again."