My lungs burned with every ragged breath I pulled into my chest, while my wet sneakers slammed against the uneven dirt path leading away from the manicured campus lawns.Connor maintained a brutal pace just a few steps ahead of me, pulling my uninjured right hand so hard my shoulder joint ached with the constant tension.The late afternoon sun was already sinking below the distant mountain peaks, casting long, dark shadows across the scattered trees lining the university border."Keep going, Jaslyn, my car is just parked past this next row of trees," Connor urged between heavy gasps for air, refusing to slow his stride as we pushed deeper into the thick brush."I c-can't run any faster," I stammered, stumbling over a thick tree root protruding from the packed earth.He tightened his grip on my fingers and pulled me forward to keep me from falling face-first into the dirt, while his dark eyes darted nervously around the empty forest.The shallow cut on my left forearm throbbed with a t
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