When the Hunt Begins

Previously

…They pressed on, the silence of the woods no longer a void, but a tense anticipation. Every shadow seemed to deepen, every gust of wind carried a whispered threat. Alex kept the map clutched tight, his eyes scanning the dense foliage, his ears straining for any sound that wasn't their own ragged breathing. The bonds, tested and strained, had held. But Alex knew, with a chilling certainty, that the true test was yet to come. The hunt was far from over.