Zara and Callum stumbled out of the crumbling hive, the cool night air hitting their faces like a shock after the suffocating heat below. The towering plume of smoke and ash behind them was a grim reminder of the chaos they had barely escaped.
Zara paused, leaning against a fractured boulder to catch her breath. Her muscles burned, her hands bloodied and raw, but her mind was sharp and focused. She glanced at Callum, who was slumped against a tree, clutching his side.
"Let me see," Zara said, stepping toward him.
"I'm fine," Callum grunted, waving her off.
"You're not," she replied firmly, pulling his hand away. Blood seeped through his shirt, and the gash across his ribs was deeper than she'd hoped. Zara tore a strip from her sleeve and pressed it against the wound. "Hold still."
Callum winced but didn't argue. "You think that thing's really dead?"
Zara's gaze drifted back to the hive entrance. The ground still trembled faintly, a subtle reminder of the beast's sheer power. "I don't know. But if it isn't, we'll make sure it stays down next time."
Callum gave a weak laugh. "Next time? You've got a death wish, Kincaid."
Zara smirked faintly but said nothing. Instead, her eyes scanned the horizon. The forest beyond the hive was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of life replaced by an oppressive silence. Something felt off. Too still. Too cold.
"We need to move," she said, helping Callum to his feet. "The blast will have drawn attention."
"From who? The locals? I'm pretty sure they all ran for the hills when the monsters showed up," Callum muttered.
"Not the locals," Zara said, her tone grim. "The Syndicate."
Callum's face darkened. "You think they're tracking us?"
"I don't think," Zara replied. "I know."
As if on cue, a faint hum filled the air. Zara froze, her sharp eyes narrowing as she spotted a glimmer of light cutting through the darkness above the treetops. A drone. Sleek, black, and unmistakably Syndicate-made.
"They're already here," Zara muttered, pulling Callum behind a cluster of rocks. "Stay low."
The drone hovered overhead, its searchlights sweeping the area. Zara gripped her blade tightly, her mind racing. They couldn't stay hidden for long; the Syndicate's drones were relentless, programmed to detect even the slightest movement.
"We need to take it down," Callum whispered, wincing as he shifted position.
Zara nodded, her hand moving to the small EMP device clipped to her belt. She had one shot to disable it before reinforcements arrived. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from their cover, aiming the device at the drone. The EMP fired, a crackling wave of energy streaking through the air.
The drone shuddered, its lights flickering before it spiraled downward and crashed into the dirt.
"Nice shot," Callum said, struggling to his feet.
Zara didn't respond. Her focus was on the faint roar of engines in the distance. Syndicate forces were closing in, and they were out of time.
"Let's move," she said, her voice steely. "This fight's just getting started."