"Shit!" I hissed through clenched teeth, my heart pounding in my chest as my eyes widened in sudden panic. The half-naked woman stood before us, a sharp arrow held firmly in her hand. Blood dripped slowly along the shaft, leaving a macabre trail.

The scene was surreal, the darkness amplifying the intensity of the encounter. Each breath I took was laced with pain, making it harder to stay composed. The urgency in the woman's voice was palpable, but my wounded leg was growing numb, rendering me helpless.

Refusing to submit to her command, I slurred my response, "Like fuck we will," struggling to find strength in my voice as I moved my injured leg too abruptly.

Glenda, sensing the imminent danger, grabbed hold of Paul's arm and squeezed it tightly, her grip a testament to her fear and determination to protect us.

"Stay back!" Glenda yelled, her voice laced with defiance as she positioned herself closer to Paul.

The woman, now closer, dropped the arrow and raised her hands in apparent surrender. "Keep your fucking voices down," she warned, her tone urgent. "It's not safe. We have to go. Now."

The conflicting emotions swirled within me. I grappled with the fear of the unknown, questioning whether this woman was friend or foe. But as another growl resonated from the darkness, deeper and more menacing, my instincts screamed that staying put was not an option. There was something out there, something far more dangerous than the woman before us.

Paul hesitated before he spoke. "Where are we going?" he asked, casting a sideways glance in Glenda and my direction.

"To your camp," the woman said flatly, as though the destination should have been obvious.

"There's something else out there," hissed Glenda, shining the phone's light in the direction of Lois' fixed stare.

The realisation dawned upon me. The threat was real, and running seemed like our only chance of survival. Paralysed by fear, I felt the weight of despair settle upon me. How could I outrun the creature that had already tried to devour my leg? My mind spiralled into a catastrophic whirlwind of thoughts.

As Glenda turned the light back toward us, I gasped. The woman had silently moved closer, crouching in front of us, her presence both unnerving and intriguing.

"Shit!" Glenda and Paul exclaimed simultaneously, mirroring the shock that reverberated through my own body.

The woman introduced herself as Charity, her voice steady and determined. "You can trust me," she assured, her grip firm on Paul's arm. "We must go."

Another deep growl pierced the darkness, causing Lois to bare her teeth in response.

"Come on," Paul urged, pulling Glenda to her feet as he stood tall. "If this woman wanted to kill us, she would have done it already."

Glenda voiced the haunting thought that echoed through my mind. "Or feed us to the creature."

"For fuck's sake," Charity interjected, gesturing for us to follow her. "Don't waste any more time. We need to move." She turned to Glenda and paused. "Give me your light."

My throat tightened with unspoken words of caution, but all that escaped my lips was a hoarse whimper. Reluctantly, I allowed Paul and Glenda to support me, acknowledging the harsh reality that being alone in the darkness with that unknown entity would be far more perilous.

"Stay close," Charity directed, shining the light ahead of us. "And keep up."

The weight of trepidation pressed upon me, my survival instincts heightened as we ventured further into the abyss. With each step, my prayers pleaded for protection, for the creature to spare me from its wrath. The black sky offered no solace, leaving me to grapple with the terrifying unknown that lay ahead.

Approaching camp, my weary eyes struggled to stay open. The pain and exhaustion had taken their toll, making it a relentless battle to remain lucid. As we reached the crest of the final dune, my gaze lifted, drawn to the sight of flickering flames dancing their way toward the heavens. I strained to focus, to decipher the meaning behind the lights, but my brain pleaded for respite, my head drooping once more as I leaned heavily against Glenda's and Paul's shoulders.

"Who is the camp leader?" Charity's voice broke through the haze.

"I am," Paul replied without hesitation.

"We need to talk. You and I," Charity asserted, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Summoning every ounce of energy, I forced my eyes to open, my vision blurred and unfocused. I squinted into the distance, my parched lips mouthing the words, "Someone's coming," my heart racing in anticipation.

"We need to attend to Kain's wounded leg first," Paul interjected.

Squatting in front of us, Charity lifted the blood-soaked shirt that had been wrapped around my leg. A yelp of pain escaped my lips as she examined the injury. "It's barely a scratch. He'll live," she declared, rising to her feet.

Barely a scratch? I seethed inwardly, frustration welling up within me. Bitch!

"I'd hardly call that..." Paul began, only to abruptly halt.

A shadowy figure emerged from the distance, approaching with swift determination.

"Chris?" I whispered, recognition dawning upon me.

Chris swiftly replaced Paul, taking his position by my side. His inadvertent pressure on my wounded leg elicited a wave of soreness, causing tears to well up in my eyes.

"We need to get him to the medical tent," Glenda asserted, her voice laced with concern.

Once again, I felt myself being dragged along, my body moving as if detached from my weary mind.

"What happened to him?" I heard Chris inquire as we shuffled through the tent flap, finally reaching the refuge of the medical tent where I was carefully laid upon a mattress.

"We don't know," Glenda replied, her voice tinged with worry.

"I think..." I attempted to speak.

Kneeling over me, Chris leaned in closer, while Glenda searched through the medical supplies on the other side of the tent.

"I think it was an animal," I managed to say, gritting my teeth in pain as Glenda unwound the shirt from around the wound.

"A shadow panther," Chris gasped, his eyes widening with astonishment.

"A what?" I asked, confusion marring my face.

"Enough talk," Glenda interjected sharply. "I need to concentrate, or Kain might lose his leg."

Any hint of losing consciousness vanished, and my terrified eyes locked with Chris's gaze.

A firm hand squeezed mine, offering solace amidst the chaos. "You're going to be fine," Chris assured me, his voice filled with consolation. "Just fine."

"I'm going to give you a dose of morphine," Glenda announced, her voice a calming presence amidst the turmoil.

Almost instantaneously, I felt a distinct prick in my upper arm, the medication taking effect swiftly.

"Try to relax," Glenda advised, her tone gentle. "You're safe now."

My hand was squeezed gently once more. "Brianne," I whispered, extending my trembling hand to touch her beautifully freckled face, finding solace in her presence amidst the overwhelming darkness.