Morning came cold.Lena woke to the faint crackle of the fire, and the stiff ache in every muscle. For a second she didn’t move. The nightmare still clung to her like a bad taste, fingers around her heart, that voice inside her bones.Mine.She shoved the memory away.When she sat up, Vance was already awake.Of course he was.He stood a few feet away in the small clearing, tightening the strap on his pack. The early light cut through the trees behind him, turning the edges of his dark jacket silver.He glanced at her once.“You’re slow.”Lena frowned. “Good morning to you too.”“We’re moving.”She pushed herself to her feet, brushing dirt off her jeans. Her body protested immediately.“Fantastic,” she muttered. “Love hiking on zero sleep.”Vance didn’t answer. He just started walking.Lena hurried after him.They moved through the forest for another hour before Vance finally stopped in a wider clearing. Sunlight filtered through the branches here, thin and pale.Lena dropped her pack
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