Chapter 78
Elara's POV
The forest was alive with chaos.
I pressed my spine against the pine trunk. Adjusted my grip on the rifle. My breathing stayed even. Controlled.
Through the gap in the branches, I watched two figures clash in a clearing about two hundred meters out.
Dylan. I recognized the blond hair. The overconfident stance.
He fired three shots in rapid succession. All missed.
His opponent—a shorter guy with dark hair—didn't flinch. Just shifted left and returned fire.
The paint round caught Dylan's shoulder. Red exploded across his jacket.
Dylan stumbled back. His face twisted in surprise. Like he genuinely didn't expect to get hit.
The dark-haired guy pressed forward. Dylan backpedaled. His boot caught on a root.
He went down hard.
I watched him scramble up. Abandon the rifle. Lunge at his opponent with his fists instead.
Sloppy. Desperate.
But it worked. He was bigger. Stronger. He tackled the other guy and they went down in a tangle of limbs.
Thirty seconds later, Dylan stood. The other guy didn't.
I let out a slow breath.
So that's Dylan's level. Brute force. No finesse.
My earpiece crackled.
"Number 6 eliminated."
Ten minutes in. One down.
I shifted my weight. The branch beneath me creaked slightly. I froze.
Listened.
Nothing.
I needed to move. This position was good for observation but terrible if someone circled around.
I scanned the area below. Picked my next spot. A cluster of rocks about forty meters northeast. Lower ground but better cover.
I slung the rifle across my back. Grabbed the branch above me. Started to climb down.
That's when I heard it.
Footsteps.
Not the heavy crashing of someone running. This was deliberate. Soft. Almost silent.
I stopped moving. Pressed flat against the trunk.
The steps came closer.
I tilted my head. Looked down through the needles.
A figure stood at the base of my tree.
Alice.
She wasn't looking up. Not yet. Her head turned slowly. Scanning the forest.
My heart rate spiked.
Did she track me here?
I didn't move. Didn't breathe.
She took two steps to the left. Paused.
Then her head tilted back.
Her eyes locked on the branches above her.
On me.
I saw the exact moment she spotted me. Her pupils dilated. Her mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
But she didn't raise her rifle.
She just... stared.
Five seconds. Ten.
Then she turned and walked away.
Disappeared into the underbrush like she'd never been there.
I waited a full minute before I moved.
What the hell was that?
She saw me. I was sure of it.
So why didn't she shoot?
I pushed the question away. Climbed down the rest of the way. Hit the ground in a crouch.
I needed distance. Fast.
---
I'd barely gone twenty meters when gunfire erupted ahead.
Multiple shooters. At least four.
I dropped behind a fallen log. Assessed.
The shots weren't aimed at me. They were firing at each other. A clustered brawl in the clearing just beyond the trees.
I stayed low. Started to circle around them.
Then something slammed into my left shoulder.
Not hard enough to hurt. But hard enough to explode.
Red paint bloomed across my jacket.
Shit.
"East side! Someone's east!"
A male voice. Panicked. Excited.
I twisted. Saw three figures turning toward me.
No time to think.
I bolted.
Behind me, footsteps crashed through the undergrowth. Branches snapped.
I zigzagged between trees. Kept my profile low.
A paint round whizzed past my head. Too close.
I spun mid-run. Raised the rifle. Fired twice without stopping.
The first shot caught one guy in the thigh. He yelped and went down.
The second hit another in the forearm.
"Number 9 eliminated."
I didn't wait to see if the third one kept coming.
I ran.
---
The terrain sloped upward. My lungs burned but I pushed harder.
Helena's treatment is holding. I'm faster than I was.
But I wasn't fast enough to outrun wolves.
I could hear two of them still behind me. Closer now.
Ahead, the ground dropped off sharply. A steep slope covered in loose rocks and pine needles.
I made a split-second choice.
Stopped running.
Turned.
They were fifteen meters back. Both had their rifles up.
I fired first.
Center mass. The lead guy's chest exploded in red.
"Number 8 eliminated."
The second one dove sideways. I tracked him. Squeezed the trigger.
The shot went wide. Hit a tree.
He rolled. Came up aiming.
I was already moving.
I threw myself backward off the slope.
Gravity took over.
I hit the incline hard. Tucked my shoulder. Let momentum carry me.
A tree branch whipped across my arm. I grabbed it. Used it to slow my fall.
My boots hit solid ground. I stumbled. Caught myself.
Above me, the last guy appeared at the edge of the slope.
He raised his rifle.
I was already sprinting into the dense trees below.
He didn't follow.
---
I found cover behind a cluster of boulders. Pressed my back against the cold stone.
My hands were shaking.
Not from fear. From adrenaline.
I forced myself to breathe. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.
Checked my ammo.
Nine rounds left.
I closed my eyes. Counted to ten.
When I opened them, I felt steadier.
Focus. You've done this a thousand times.
Except I hadn't. Not in this body.
Lynette had. In the north. In real battles where paint rounds were bullets and eliminated meant dead.
I shoved that thought down.
Focused on now.
I needed to move again. This position was too exposed.
I started to shift my weight—
"Found you."
The voice came from behind me.
I reacted on instinct.
Rolled sideways. Brought the rifle up as I came to one knee.
Alice stood five meters away.
Her rifle was already aimed at my head.
We stared at each other.
Neither of us fired.
"You're fast," she said.
I didn't answer.
Her finger moved toward the trigger.
I threw myself left.
She fired.
I fired.
Both shots went wide.
We'd both predicted each other's dodge.
I hit the ground. Rolled. Came up behind a tree.
Alice was gone.
No.
Not gone.
I heard her voice. Calm. Almost amused.
"Interesting. You're better than I thought."
I pressed against the bark. Scanned for movement.
She was circling. I could hear the faint scrape of boots on stone.
My heart hammered.
She's not like the others. She's trained.
I calculated distance. Cover. Angles.
There was no avoiding this fight.
I tightened my grip on the rifle.
Waited.