But she was still catching her breath, shocked as her eyes swept over the environment around her and found nothing—nothing but a long, straight road stretching endlessly ahead and behind her.
There was no fork. No buildings. Just dirt, moonlight, and silence.
She couldn't fathom how she was supposed to get far enough away before Zyren started looking for her.
"This is bad…" she mumbled under her breath, glancing back nervously. And in the very next second, her mind began to spiral, considering the unthinkable—going back.
Her thoughts betrayed her, weaving scenes where she would return to Zyren, ask him for more time—and he, graciously, would grant it. She could almost see the calm smile on his face, the dangerous charm behind it.
But the silence of the night—the deafening stillness—was only making her panic worse. She turned on the spot, spinning in slow, frantic circles, her eyes wide, searching for something—anything—alive.
There was nothing.
