The air in the camp was heavy with silence. Since Elena's abduction, nothing had been the same. Tension gripped every survivor like a vice, especially Alex and Ethan. Everyone was on edge, preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.
Alexa sat alone near the edge of the encampment, her mind spinning. For weeks now, flashes of memories had been returning to her—her life before the apocalypse, her time with Alex, the love they had shared. But with those memories came a deeper unease. Something about Elena's pregnancy tugged at her thoughts like a loose thread.
And then it clicked.
The way Alex looked at Elena. The way Elena avoided her gaze when the baby was mentioned. The timing. The tension. All the puzzle pieces snapped together in Alexa's mind.
The baby... wasn't Ethan's.
She stood up abruptly, heart pounding, and marched toward Alex, who was sharpening a blade beside the fire, his jaw clenched in frustration.
"Alex," she said, her voice tense.
He looked up, eyes tired. "Yeah?"
"I think..." She hesitated, then said it. "I think the baby Elena's carrying... it's yours."
Alex froze.
"What?" His voice dropped, the blade slipping from his hand.
"I don't have proof, but I see the way she looks at you, the way you look at her. I just—something feels off. And I deserve to know the truth. Especially now."
Alex stared at the fire, saying nothing for a moment. His silence was an answer in itself.
Before either of them could continue, Ethan appeared behind them, fully geared and ready for battle. His eyes locked onto Alex.
"She's out there. Bleeding. In pain. We leave now."
Alex stood, guilt and worry crashing over him in waves.
A group of six armed survivors gathered at the gate, weapons strapped, adrenaline building. Among them were Alex, Ethan, and the police officer, Ramirez, who had taken charge of strategies in recent weeks.
"We don't know what condition she's in," Ramirez warned. "She's close to labor, and if what the scout saw is true—she's bleeding. She might lose the baby."
Alex felt his stomach twist. He glanced once at Alexa, her expression a storm of emotion, and then he nodded at Ethan.
"Let's bring her back."
Elena lay in a dark, damp shack deep in the woods. Her wrists were tied, her body weak, her vision blurry. Pain surged through her abdomen in waves. She was having contractions—but the blood told her something was wrong.
She tried to stay conscious, to breathe through the pain, but it was harder with each passing second. She whispered to the child inside her, tears streaming down her face.
"Hold on... please. Just a little longer."
One of the hunters, a younger man named Jace—the one who had shown her some kindness—stood outside the shack, nervous and pale. He had never agreed with the others' cruelty. He paced, watching Elena's suffering through the cracks of the wooden walls.
"She's dying," he muttered. "She'll lose the baby if they don't come soon..."
He made a choice.
Slipping away from the group, Jace took a flare from his belt and fired it into the sky—just once. A burst of red lit up the night.
Back at camp, Ramirez spotted the flare.
"There!" he pointed. "That's our signal!"
Without hesitation, the rescue team charged into the forest, weapons ready, hearts racing.
They had one goal: bring Elena back alive.