Chapter 0169


    Abby


    My heart’s practically pounding out of my chest as we park the car, hidden behind a veil of trees. The


    forest feels even more thick and suffocating now than it did on the day that we came here to go


    mushroom hunting, now that I know what actually lies behind the mist.


    Karl takes a moment to study the map I had snatched from himst night, his fingers tracing the


    uneven, ink-smeared lines.


    “Ready?” he asks, his eyes meeting mine.


    “As I’ll ever be,” I reply, grabbing my bag from the backseat. Karl locks the car, and we head off,


    stepping into the dense foliage, guided only by the soft morning light filtering through the trees.


    For a few minutes, we walk inplete silence. The stillness isforting in its own eerie way, but I’m


    too focused on our mission to let my mind wander too far.


    “Okay,” Karl whispers at one point, stopping in his tracks. “We have to be extra careful from here on


    out. We’re nearing their territory. If you want to stop, now’s your chance.”


    I’m suddenly aware of every single sound around us, every whispering leaf, every chirping bird, as


    though nature itself is warning us to turn back. But I can’t; not now. Not ever. I shake my head, leveling


    my gaze with Karl’s.


    “I want to do this. Let’s continue.”


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    Karl, after shooting me onest worried look, moves with a stealth I didn’t know he possessed. I follow


    closely behind, treading lightly, taking care not to snap a twig or rustle leaves too loudly.


    “Cameras, at 2 o’clock,” he hisses, gesturing with his chin. I nce in that direction and see the telltale


    signs: small ck domes, almost camouged against the greenery. My heart skips a beat.


    “We can skirt around them,” he whispers, taking the lead as we adjust our path. “Keep low.”


    I lower my body, feeling the damp earth seep into my jeans. We creep forward, the weight of our every


    move amplified by the silence. I hold my breath as we cross the camera’s line of sight. Once past, I


    exhale softly, my breath quivering in relief.


    We haven’t taken more than ten steps when Karl abruptly halts. I nearly crash into him. He turns, finger


    pressed against his lips, and points. My eyes follow the line of his arm and I see them—guards, two of


    them, wearing dark uniforms, patrolling the area. And they have guns.


    “Dammit,” I mutter under my breath.


    “We can’t turn back now,” Karl whispers, his eyes scanning the woods, calcting. “There’s a cluster of


    bushes to the right. We can use them as cover.”


    “Are you sure?” My voice is filled with doubt. The path Karl is suggesting skirts dangerously close to the


    guards.


    “Do you have a better idea?” His eyes meet mine, a hint of desperation in them.


    I shake my head, defeated. “No. Let’s go.”


    Like a pair of wolves, we stalk through the underbrush, our eyes never leaving the guards. We’re so


    close I can hear their footsteps, the soft murmur of their voices as they talk andugh, blissfully


    unaware of our presence. With every step, my pulse quickens, my body tensing for a burst of


    movement, a desperate dash for freedom, if ites to that.


    We reach the bushes Karl pointed out, huddled low, concealed by the thick foliage. I peek through the


    leaves, watching the guards as they make their way further down their path, finally turning a corner. A


    shaky sigh escapes my lips.


    “That was close,” I whisper.


    “Too close,” Karl adds. He nces at me, his eyes softened with a mixture of relief and worry. “You


    okay?”


    “Never better,” I reply, the adrenaline still buzzing beneath my skin. But I can see the toll it’s taking on


    Karl. His hands tremble as he checks the map again, reorienting us for the next part of our dangerous


    journey.


    We continue, each step taking us deeper into a maze of dangers. More cameras. More guards. My


    mind bes wholly fixated on survival, mapping out escape routes, back-up ns, and points of no


    return.


    Atst, we reach the edge of a clearing. Through the trees, I see it: a beautiful waterfall cascading


    down into a ravine, its waters glistening in the morning sun. Build into the wall on the opposite end of


    the ravine is a building, and its perimeter is practically crawling with armed guards.


    It’s disguised well with the greenery, but it’s there. And if we want to get inside, where these truffles


    may be hidden, we’ll need to get down into that ravine.