Chapter 8

The explosion came out of nowhere, tearing through the cabin like a force of nature. One moment, I was on my feet, bracing for the next move in this tense standoff, and the next, I was airborne. The blast threw me to the ground with bone-jarring force, and pain shot through my side as I hit the splintered floorboards. For a long, disorienting moment, I couldn't breathe. My ears rang with a shrill, unrelenting tone that drowned out everything else.

Smoke swirled around me, thick and acrid, stinging my eyes and filling my lungs with every desperate gulp of air I took. It was chaos-no, it was worse than chaos. The once-cozy cabin was a warzone, its walls groaning and splintering under the pressure of the explosion's aftermath.

I forced my eyes open, blinking rapidly to clear my vision. Shapes and shadows moved through the smoke, indistinct but frantic. My limbs felt heavy, like they didn't belong to me, but I fought through the haze and tried to push myself up.

"Isabella!"

The voice cut through the ringing in my ears, sharp with panic and relief. I turned my head, wincing at the pain that lanced through my skull. Through the smoke, I saw him-Enzo. His face was streaked with blood and soot, his shirt torn and stained. He was stumbling to his feet, his eyes scanning the wreckage until they locked on me.

"Enzo" My voice came out as a rasp, barely audible over the sound of crackling wood and the distant pop of gunfire.

He was by my side in an instant, his hands gripping my arms as he hauled me upright. His touch was firm, grounding me in a world that felt like it was spinning out of control.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded, his voice rough but urgent.

"I'm fine," I managed, though my head throbbed with every word. My legs were shaky, barely holding me up. "What what happened?"

Before Enzo could answer, another voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

"Move! We need to get out of here, now!"

Vince. His silhouette emerged from the smoke, his gun gripped tightly in one hand. His face was hard, his eyes darting toward the sagging walls and splintered roof as though calculating how much time we had before the whole structure came down.

"Isabella, go!" Vince barked, gesturing toward the door.

But I couldn't move-not yet. My eyes scanned the room, searching for someone who was missing. "Where's Tony?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge. Enzo stiffened beside me, his eyes narrowing as he too looked around. "Tony!" I yelled, my voice rising with panic.

For a terrifying moment, there was no response. The smoke was too thick, the debris too dense. But then, faint and feeble, I heard it-a cough.

My heart leapt. "Tony!" I called again, scrambling toward the sound.

Enzo followed close behind, his hand on my arm to steady me as we navigated the rubble. And then we saw him. Tony was slumped against a shattered beam, one hand clutching his side. Blood seeped between his fingers, staining his shirt and the floor beneath him.

"Tony!" I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands trembling as I reached for his shoulder. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," he wheezed, though his pale, sweat-slicked face told a different story.

"Fine?" I choked out, my throat tight with emotion. "You're bleeding!"

"We don't have time for this," Vince growled, his gaze fixed on the cabin door. The sound of gunfire outside was growing louder, closer. "They're coming."

Enzo didn't hesitate. He crouched beside Tony, looping the man's arm over his shoulder. "Can you walk?"

Tony grimaced but nodded. "I'll manage."

"Let's go," Enzo said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

With Enzo supporting Tony and me trailing close behind, we stumbled toward the back door. Every step felt like a lifetime. The floor creaked ominously beneath our weight, threatening to collapse at any moment. The air was thick with smoke and dust, making it almost impossible to see or breathe.

But we made it. The back door swung open, and the cool night air hit my face like a blessing. For a fleeting second, I thought we were safe.

Then I saw them.

Dark shapes moved in the shadows of the treeline, their guns glinting in the pale moonlight. My heart sank.

"Run!" Vince's voice was a sharp command, snapping me out of my daze.

I didn't need to be told twice. I bolted down the embankment, my legs pounding against the uneven ground. Fear drove me forward, my heart hammering in my chest as adrenaline coursed through my veins. Behind me, I could hear Enzo and Tony, their footfalls uneven but determined.

The first bullet whizzed past my ear, so close I could feel the heat of it. I let out a strangled gasp, my body instinctively ducking lower as I ran. More gunfire followed, the sharp cracks echoing through the night as bullets tore into the ground and trees around us.

We reached the cover of the forest, its shadows swallowing us whole. Branches clawed at my arms and legs, the underbrush snagging on my clothes, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

"Keep moving!" Vince shouted from up ahead, his voice strained but steady.

The forest was a labyrinth of roots and shadows, each step a gamble. The ground was uneven, littered with fallen branches and hidden pitfalls. I stumbled more than once, but Enzo's hand was always there, steadying me, pulling me forward.

Tony was flagging now, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Enzo was practically carrying him, his jaw set in grim determination.

"Just a little further," I whispered, though I wasn't sure if I was saying it for Tony or myself.

The gunfire began to fade, the shouts of our pursuers growing more distant. My lungs burned, and my legs felt like they were made of lead, but I forced myself to keep going.

Finally, Vince came to a halt, his hand raised to signal silence. I collapsed against a tree, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Enzo lowered Tony to the ground, his face pale but resolute.

"We can't stay here," Vince said, his voice low but urgent. "They'll find us."

Enzo nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Tony needs medical attention."

"We'll find a way," Vince replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I looked down at Tony, my heart twisting at the sight of him. His eyes were half-closed, his breaths shallow and uneven. I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.

"Hang on, Tony," I murmured, my voice trembling. "We're going to get you out of this."

He gave me a faint smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You always were stubborn."

I laughed softly, though tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "And you always were a pain in the ass."

Vince cleared his throat, breaking the moment. "Let's move. The longer we wait, the harder it'll be to stay ahead of them."

Enzo helped Tony to his feet, and we pressed on, deeper into the forest. The shadows grew thicker, the trees towering over us like silent sentinels. Every step was a struggle, every breath a battle, but we didn't stop.

We couldn't.

The enemy was still out there, hunting us. And we were running out of time.