"We need to move faster," I said to Jamie, who was supporting Thomas's other side."I'm trying, but he's dead weight right now."Helena walked ahead of us, scanning for any sign of civilization. Ruth and Vera flanked our group, helping the other wounded survivors. Our group had shrunk in size Micheal, Erik, Bjorn, and several others hadn't made it through the traps. Everyone who was left looked like they'd crawled out of hell."There," Helena called out, pointing through the trees. "I can see smoke. Has to be a settlement."It took us another hour to reach the village. By then, Thomas was barely conscious. His hand had swollen to twice its normal size, the skin around the wound turning an ugly purple-black color."Help us," I called out to the first person we saw, an elderly woman carrying a basket of vegetables. "Please, he's dying."She took one look at Thomas and her face went pale. "Clinic's that way. Hurry."The clinic was small but clean, run by a healer named Meredith who took
Last Updated : 2025-09-23 Read more