A Sister's Resolve

The forest floor, once a tapestry of sun-dappled leaves and moss, now felt like a treacherous, shifting canvas under Ava’s trembling boots. Each snap of a twig, each rustle of unseen foliage, was a drumbeat of fear against her ribs. But beneath the rising tide of terror, something else was hardening, a core of steely resolve that surprised even her. Avery. Her sister. That was the anchor in this storm of chaos.

She’d seen Avery’s wide, terrified eyes when the first scream had ripped through the twilight air, saw the way she’d instinctively pressed herself against Andrew, seeking his solid presence. Ava’s own blood had run cold, a primal instinct to shield her younger sibling seizing her. Now, separated, the thought of Avery alone, vulnerable, was a more potent fuel than any fear.

They’d scattered, a panicked flock when the masked figures had emerged from the deepening gloom. Andrew, bless his protective heart, had shoved Ava and Avery towards the denser trees, shouting for them to run, his voice a strained roar against the rising panic. Alex, ever the pragmatist, had grabbed Benjamin’s arm, pulling him along. Noah, his usual jovial mask shattered, had stumbled, his athletic grace replaced by a desperate scramble. And Maya… Ava hadn’t seen Maya clearly in the ensuing pandemonium, just a fleeting glimpse of her determined stride as she’d vanished into the undergrowth.