The jungle was suffocating in its silence, the dense trees towering over them like watchful sentinels. The air, thick with humidity, clung to their skin as they hurried through the underbrush, hearts pounding in their chests. It had been a long night, and the oppressive heat of the day had yet to break. The sense of urgency in the air was palpable—the mercenaries were on their tail, and every rustle of the leaves or snap of a twig made their nerves twinge with fear.
August’s mind raced with options. The group had split up after the camp's alarm went off, making their way through the jungle, trying to stay off the radar. The system’s map displayed the positions of the mercenaries, each red dot a reminder of how close they were to being caught. The escape plan had been simple: run and regroup at the rendezvous point. But now, August’s thoughts were clouded with doubt.
What if they caught up with us before we reached the rendezvous?
His fingers twitched at the thought of the system, the one tool that had helped him survive this far. It had been invaluable, yes, but something about it felt wrong. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been guiding him toward a path he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to follow. But right now, it was the only thing that could help them get out of this mess.
The low hum of the system buzzed in his mind, a constant companion, but August barely acknowledged it. He focused on the task at hand: survival.
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The moment they reached the rendezvous point, a rocky outcrop overlooking a wide stretch of jungle, August noticed Jude’s piercing glare. It was the same look he’d been getting since they’d escaped the camp. Jude had been quieter than usual, his mood souring with every passing moment. His distrust was more than obvious, but August didn’t have the time to deal with it right now.
“Lara, you good?” August asked, trying to break the silence as she emerged from the trees, her rifle slung over her shoulder. The others were already there—Cara sitting on a boulder, staring out into the trees, and Jude pacing like a restless animal.
Lara didn’t answer right away. She surveyed the area, as if trying to make sure no one was following them, before turning her gaze back to August. “I’m fine. But we’re not out of the woods yet.”
“We’ll wait until nightfall,” August said. “We can’t risk being spotted before then.”
Jude stopped pacing and fixed August with a scowl. “And what then? We just keep running? Keep running until they catch us?”
August met his stare, holding his ground. “We need to get to the mountain facility. It’s the only lead we have on Sabrina.”
Jude snorted, looking away. “And I suppose you’ve thought of everything, huh? Or is this just another one of your systems-guided adventures?”
The sharpness in his tone made August bristle, but he held his response back. He knew this wasn’t the time to argue. They were all under pressure, and fear had a way of eating at people’s nerves. Jude’s was no different.
Lara interrupted the tension, her voice low. “We need to move. The mercenaries are still searching the area, and we’ve already left too many tracks. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to slip by unnoticed.”
“Right,” August said, turning his attention to the system again. He accessed the map, pinpointing the location of the mercenaries who were still combing the jungle. Their red dots were moving erratically, but there was no clear pattern. They had to be closing in on them.
The group had no time to lose.
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The escape from the mercenary camp hadn’t been easy. After the alarm had sounded, August had used his system’s map to find the quickest way out, but they’d been forced to move in different directions, splitting up to avoid detection. He’d taken the longest route, zigzagging through the dense underbrush to make sure he wasn’t followed.
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And then, just as they were about to regroup, an idea had struck him—something impulsive, something risky. He’d hacked into the fuel tanks at the edge of the camp and detonated them, creating a massive explosion. The resulting fireball lit up the night sky, sending smoke curling into the air and masking their movements.
The blast had done its job. The mercenaries were distracted, scrambling to put out the flames and secure the perimeter. But now, August was starting to question whether he’d made the right decision.
The system had cheered him on, notifying him that the explosion had successfully drawn the mercenaries' attention. But it hadn’t accounted for the fact that they’d now be chasing them even harder.
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As the group continued to push forward through the jungle, a low growl from the underbrush made August freeze. His hand instinctively went to his sidearm, fingers brushing the cool metal of the grip.
“Something’s out there,” Jude whispered, voice tight.
The growl came again, louder this time, followed by the sound of something moving rapidly through the trees. August’s system flared to life, displaying the outline of an animal ahead of them—a large shape moving too fast to be anything normal.
Before he could react, the creature burst from the trees—a massive, disfigured wolf, its eyes glowing with an unnatural red hue. Its fur was matted, patches missing, revealing bloodied, infected skin beneath. Behind it, a second, then a third, emerged from the jungle.
Infected wolves. The first August had seen, but not the last. The pack moved as one, their eyes locked on the group like predators closing in on their prey.
“Run!” August shouted.
Without waiting for a response, he took off, his legs pumping, pushing through the thick undergrowth. Behind him, he heard the others following, but the sound of the wolves chasing them quickly grew louder.
The wolves were faster, more agile than anything August had encountered before. He could hear them closing the gap, the sound of paws hitting the earth like drums in the night.
“August!” Jude yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos. “We need to fight back!”
August’s mind raced. He’d used the system for so long that his instincts now seemed to rely on it. But it wasn’t functioning like it used to. The explosion had thrown off the system’s signal, making it glitch intermittently. He could hear it in his head—the faint buzz of warnings, the flashing icons of critical updates that never quite made it.
Not now, he thought. I can’t rely on it anymore.
His hand gripped his sidearm tighter as he spun to face the wolves. The first one lunged at him, jaws wide. He fired. The shot rang out, striking the wolf’s shoulder. It yelped, skidding back, but didn’t stop. Another lunged, and this time, August sidestepped, letting it pass by him.
Jude fired next, hitting one of the wolves square in the chest, but it only slowed the beast down for a moment before it reared up, its eyes locked on Jude.
“Cara!” August shouted.
Cara’s eyes were wide with panic, but she reacted quickly, lifting her own weapon. She fired a single shot, taking out the lead wolf, its body crumpling to the ground with a sickening thud.
But there were more coming, and they weren’t slowing down.
“Fall back!” Lara shouted. “We need to get to higher ground!”
The group turned and sprinted, their breaths ragged as they climbed up a slope. The wolves followed, relentless. The pack was closing in.
At the top of the hill, August’s eyes locked onto a large, rotting tree that had fallen across a ravine. It was their only chance.
“Over there!” he shouted, pointing to the tree.
The others followed his lead, running toward it as the wolves snapped at their heels.
As they reached the tree, August turned to fire another round. The wolf lunged at him, and for a split second, he thought he’d be too late. But Jude’s bullet hit the wolf mid-air, and it fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
“We can’t keep this up,” Jude gasped. “There’s too many of them!”
“We have to,” August said through gritted teeth. His system’s map flickered back on, the once-precise coordinates now flashing erratically. He glanced at it.
New update: Sabrina’s location updated: Convoy in motion. Moving east, coordinates: 42.1188° N, 119.8392° W.
The coordinates.
They were still on the move. The convoy had started moving again.
“Let’s go,” August said. “We’re not done yet.”
But as the wolves howled below them, one final thought gnawed at the back of his mind.
Was it too late to save her?