It wasn't hard to get far—just exhausting.
My body wasn't broken, just tired in the way anyone would be after walking and running nearly three miles with nothing but stream water to drink. Eventually, I reached the city. It looked dead. Buildings stood hollow, streets silent, decay everywhere.
What I didn't expect was a working spa.
Hot water. Electricity.
I didn't question it. I bathed, soaked the grime and fear off my skin, and found clothes that still fit—abandoned, but usable. The city stretched for miles with no sign of human life, and I didn't care. There were plenty of places to hide, plenty of things that could be useful. Water I could manage. Food… I had no idea. The city had been empty for years, maybe longer.
Still, exhaustion won.
I slept.
Near midnight, gunfire tore me awake.
Close. Too close.
If they found me, I was done. I didn't pack. I didn't think. I ran—straight out of the city and into the forest, pushing deep into the trees