Leah's body ached with exhaustion as she finally allowed sleep to take her. The weight of everything—the battles, the losses, the fear—pressed down on her like an iron chain, but the moment her eyes closed, she was somewhere else.
Darkness surrounded her at first, but then the air shifted. A heavy, unnatural presence filled the void, and a cold whisper curled around her mind.
"You are running out of time."
Leah turned, searching for the source of the voice. The leader of the elites stood before her, his form shifting like a shadow barely contained in human skin. His piercing gaze locked onto hers, and suddenly, she wasn't just standing in an empty void anymore—she was seeing.
A path stretched before her, winding through ruins and dense forests, cutting through rivers and open plains. It led to something massive, something hidden beyond the reach of ordinary eyes. Then, she saw it—the stronghold. The elites' base. It rose like an impossible fortress, a monolith of power, humming with an energy so foreign it made her stomach turn.
"Find us," the leader's voice echoed in her skull. "If you dare."
A searing pain shot through her head, and Leah gasped, stumbling back. The vision fractured like glass, the shadows closing in, and the last thing she saw was the leader's smirk before everything snapped into darkness.
Her eyes flew open, her body jerking upright as she gasped for breath. Her heart pounded, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her head. The vision was fading, but the knowledge remained. She knew where to go.
Elias was the first to notice she was awake. He immediately crouched beside her, his brows drawn in concern. "Leah? What happened?"
She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. "I saw it," she whispered. "I saw the way to the elites."
The words were enough to make the entire group stop what they were doing. Eyes turned to her, some filled with hope, others with fear. She looked at them, knowing that what she was about to say would change everything.
"We need to move. Now."
The air was thick with tension as Leah relayed her vision to the group. They sat in a loose circle, their faces illuminated by the dim glow of a small fire, listening to every word.
"So, you're saying you saw their base?" Thompson asked, his voice low, as if speaking too loudly would make it all too real.
Leah nodded. "It's hidden beyond the forests and riverbanks. It's… different. Not just some bunker or underground hideout. It's like a massive ship—one that's impenetrable. But I know where to find it."
Jonah exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "A ship? What the hell are these things?"
"We don't have time to sit around wondering," Elias said firmly. His eyes met Leah's, steady and unwavering. "If you saw the way, then we move. We can't wait any longer."
Hope, who had been sitting close to Leah, tugged on her sleeve. "Will the bad people find us first?" she asked softly.
Leah hesitated, brushing a strand of hair from Hope's face. "Not if we find them first," she promised.
Kael was already strapping his gear together. "Then let's go."
One by one, they stood, gathering their few supplies, preparing for the unknown road ahead. The weight of what they were about to do settled on each of them differently—Oliver's face was tight with fear, Thompson's jaw clenched in quiet determination, and Jonah's eyes darted around as if expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.
The first step was always the hardest, but once they took it, there was no turning back.
The hunt for the elites had begun.
The journey stretched on for days. Through thick forests, across rocky terrain, and over chilling riverbanks, they moved as swiftly as they could. The air grew colder the farther they traveled, the silence of the wilderness broken only by the crunch of their footsteps and the occasional distant howl of something inhuman.
Leah felt the weight of her vision pressing against her mind. Every turn, every step, she questioned whether they were truly on the right path. But something inside her—something deeper than memory—pushed her forward.
It wasn't until they reached the edge of a dried-up ravine that the past came rushing back in a way none of them expected.
A figure stood on the other side, half-hidden by the shadows of the trees. Leah felt her stomach twist at the sight of him.
"Caleb?" Thompson's voice was hoarse, disbelieving.
The man turned at the sound of his name, and for a moment, there was silence. Then recognition flashed across his face, and he stepped forward. His clothes were worn, his face bruised, but his expression was unreadable.
"Thompson," he said, voice rough.
Thompson's body tensed as he took a step closer. "What are you doing here? How did you—?"
Caleb cut him off with a sharp shake of his head. "I've been following you. I knew you'd come this way." His eyes flickered over the group before settling on Leah. His gaze darkened, unreadable.
Leah's heart pounded. The last time she'd seen him, he had been on the enemy's side. She remembered his anger, his sharp words. But this… this was different.
"There's something you need to know," Caleb continued. His jaw tightened. "Our brother… he's gone. The Others got him."
Thompson froze. For a long moment, no one spoke. The wind whistled through the trees, rustling the leaves as the words settled like a heavy weight over them.
Jonah shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Thompson. But Thompson didn't move. His eyes remained locked on Caleb, and then, slowly, he exhaled.
Leah expected an outburst, anger, denial—but instead, Thompson simply nodded. "I figured," he said quietly.
Caleb hesitated, as if unsure what to say next. His gaze flickered back to Leah, and this time, it held something else.
"I was wrong about you," he admitted, voice low. "Back then. I see that now."
Leah swallowed hard. She hadn't expected an apology, but somehow, hearing it made something inside her shift.
She nodded once. "We don't have time to dwell on the past," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Are you coming with us?"
Caleb didn't hesitate this time. "Yeah," he said. "I'm in."
As they moved forward, Leah felt the weight of everything pressing down on her. The past was catching up, and the future was barreling toward them.
And somewhere ahead, the elites were waiting.
Caleb's addition to the group was met with mixed reactions.
Thompson had been silent since the revelation of their brother's death. He walked ahead of the group, his steps heavier than before, his posture stiff. Jonah and Oliver kept their distance from Caleb, their trust not easily given after what had happened the last time they met him. Leah could feel their unease like a thick fog around them.
Only Elias seemed to take things in stride, though his usual warmth was dimmed by the heavy atmosphere. Kael was indifferent, his focus still on Leah, as if waiting for something more from her. And Hope, too young to understand the full gravity of the situation, simply clung to Leah's side like always.
But it was Leah who felt the most conflicted.
Every now and then, she caught Caleb glancing at her. Not with the hostility he once had, but with something unreadable—something that made her stomach twist. It was strange. This was the same man who had looked at Hope with disgust before, the same man who had dismissed her as a liability.
And now, here he was, walking beside them like he had always been a part of their group.
As they moved forward, the terrain became more difficult. Thick trees loomed over them, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. The wind whistled through the gaps, a haunting sound that reminded Leah too much of the whispers she sometimes heard in her dreams.
She pulled her coat tighter around her, pressing forward.
The silence was broken when Oliver, who had been walking beside Jonah, suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet, uncertain. "Leah?"
She turned to him, surprised. "Yeah?"
Oliver hesitated, his small fingers clenching at the edge of his tattered sleeve. He looked nervous, his eyes flickering between her and Caleb. "Do you… remember Marcus now?"
The question hit her like a blow to the chest.
Marcus.
Leah's footsteps slowed as flashes of a face she barely recalled surfaced in her mind. A kind face. A quiet presence. Someone who had joined them not long ago.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Elias sighed, running a hand through his dark curls. "She's remembering," he muttered. "Slowly."
Jonah shifted uncomfortably. "Then she should know what happened."
Leah's heart pounded. She didn't need them to say it. The look in Jonah's eyes, the way Oliver wouldn't meet her gaze, told her enough.
"He's gone, isn't he?" she whispered.
Silence.
Then Thompson, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. His voice was heavy, raw. "The Others got him."
Leah closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Another loss. Another person gone.
She had barely gotten a chance to know Marcus, but the pain of his death still pressed against her ribs like a dull knife.
Kael's voice was quiet but firm. "We have to keep moving."
He wasn't wrong. They didn't have the luxury of grief. Not when the elites were waiting. Not when every second wasted brought them closer to being caught.
Leah forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
"We keep going," she said, her voice stronger than she felt.
Caleb, who had been watching her, finally spoke again. His tone was softer this time, careful. "Are you okay?"
Leah met his gaze.
Was she?
No. She wasn't.
But she couldn't let that stop her.
"I will be," she said simply. Then, turning back to the road ahead, she pressed on, leading the group forward.
Ahead of them, the world stretched into uncertainty.
The days blurred together as they traveled.
With each step, the group grew quieter, exhaustion wearing them down. They had crossed rivers, climbed rocky terrain, and pushed through dense forests. The nights were cold, the hunger gnawed at their stomachs, and the weight of everything they had lost pressed heavily on their shoulders.
But they didn't stop.
Leah had told them what she had seen—the revelation in her dreams, the path to the elites' base. It was a place unlike anything they had encountered before, something built to withstand time and destruction. And if Leah's vision was right, it was where everything would end.
They had to get there.
Even when their feet ached, even when their bodies begged for rest, they moved forward.
Elias kept close to Leah, his steady presence a silent anchor. Hope clung to her as usual, the child's warmth a small comfort. Kael remained alert, his sharp eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
Thompson had grown distant since Caleb's arrival. He barely spoke, keeping his thoughts locked away. Jonah, too, had been unusually quiet, while Oliver stayed close to Elias, looking to him for reassurance.
And Caleb—he was different now.
He no longer carried the sharp-edged hostility he once had toward Leah. Instead, there was something almost protective in the way he moved. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was something else. Either way, he was part of them now, whether the others liked it or not.
The air grew heavier as they neared their destination.
It started as a feeling, a pressure in the atmosphere that made Leah's skin prickle. The forest around them began to thin, the trees growing farther apart, the ground beneath them firmer.
Then, finally, after days of walking, it came into view.
The elites' base.
The sight of it stole the breath from their lungs.
It wasn't just a building. It wasn't just a fortress.
It was massive—an enormous structure unlike anything they had ever seen. A spaceship-like construct, its dark metallic surface gleaming under the fading light. It was built with a precision that made it look almost alien, towering over the landscape with an air of absolute dominance.
It was impenetrable.
And yet, here they stood, staring up at it, knowing they had no choice but to break through.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Kael exhaled sharply. "So this is it."
Leah clenched her fists.
The final battle was just beginning.
Silence stretched between them as they stood before the enormous structure.
It was unlike anything they had imagined. The smooth, metallic walls seemed to swallow the fading light of the sky, giving the illusion that it stretched endlessly into the heavens. It was cold, lifeless—yet something about it pulsed with a dark, menacing energy.
A warning.
Jonah swallowed hard. "How do we even get inside?"
No one had an answer.
Leah stepped forward, her body tense. The closer she got, the stronger the hum in her veins became. It wasn't just her power reacting—it was something else. The visions, the strange memories that had resurfaced since she woke up… it was all connected to this place.
She pressed a hand against the surface.
Nothing happened.
But she could feel it.
There was something beneath—something locked away. A barrier, a layer of protection stronger than anything she had encountered before.
"They knew we'd come," she whispered.
Elias stepped beside her. "Then we make them regret it."
Kael's expression darkened. "If we go in, we may not come back out."
The wind howled around them, sending chills down their spines.
"We always knew this was the end of the road," Thompson muttered. His voice was distant, still weighed down by the loss of his brother. But there was something solid in his stance, a resolve that hadn't been there before. "Either we fight, or we die running."
Hope clung to Leah's side, her small fingers gripping tightly. "We'll win, right?"
Leah looked down at her, forcing a small, reassuring smile. "We have to."
Caleb ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Then we find a way in."
Oliver shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between the group and the impenetrable fortress. "What if there is no way?"
"There's always a way," Kael said firmly.
The weight of their mission settled over them like a heavy storm cloud. They were at the gates of the enemy, staring into the abyss of the unknown. The odds were impossible, but they had come too far to turn back now.
Leah took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of strength she had left.
"We end this," she said, voice steady. "One way or another."
The determination in her words sent a shiver through the group.
Then, without another word, they prepared for what was to come.
The battle for survival had truly begun.