The faint hum of the drone faded into the distance, but its presence left an unease that clung to the group like a second shadow. Daniel’s instincts screamed at him to keep moving, to stay ahead of whatever reinforcements the machines might send. He could feel the group’s fear, their hurried steps betraying their inexperience.
“This way,” he called, motioning toward a crumbled structure partially obscured by overgrowth. “We need cover.”
Lily nodded, rallying the others. They followed him into the ruins of what might have once been a warehouse, its roof caved in and walls blackened with soot. Inside, it offered a temporary reprieve from the open wasteland, but Daniel knew it wouldn’t last.
“Is it gone?” a young woman asked, her voice trembling.
“For now,” Daniel replied curtly. “But it’ll be back. They always come back.”
“Why us?” a grizzled man asked, bitterness lacing his words. “We’re just trying to survive.”
Daniel gave him a hard look. “It’s not personal. To them, we’re all just targets.”
His words hung heavy in the air. Lily moved to address the group, her voice steady despite the tension. “We keep moving. Together. We can make it through this.”
Daniel stayed silent, scanning the horizon through a gap in the wall. He admired her ability to hold the group together, though he didn’t say it. He couldn’t afford to get attached, not to her, not to any of them.
The group pressed on, skirting the edge of a dried-out riverbed. The terrain grew rockier, the ruins fewer and farther between. The machines’ absence made the silence even more oppressive, as if the wasteland itself held its breath.
Then came the sound that shattered it: the faint, rhythmic thudding of metallic steps.
Daniel froze, his heart sinking. “They’ve found us.”
The group scrambled for cover as the sound grew louder, accompanied by the unmistakable hum of servos. Daniel crouched behind a boulder, his grip tightening on his steel pipe. He counted three machines emerging from the distant haze, their humanoid forms sleek and deadly.
“Hunters,” he muttered. “They’re fast, and they don’t miss.”
“What do we do?” Lily whispered, her rifle already in her hands.
Daniel’s mind raced. “Split up. Draw them off. It’s the only way to scatter them.”
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“I’m not leaving them,” Lily said firmly, her eyes locking with his.
Daniel opened his mouth to argue, but the hunters were already closing in. “Fine,” he said. “Then we hold them here. Keep them busy, give the others a chance to run.”
Lily gave a sharp nod. “You take the left. I’ll cover you.”
The first hunter was nearly on them when Daniel made his move. He darted out from behind the boulder, swinging his pipe in a wide arc that connected with the machine’s midsection. Sparks flew as it staggered, its balance momentarily disrupted. He pressed the attack, his movements swift and precise, each strike aimed at its joints.
Lily’s rifle cracked, the shot punching through the chest of the second hunter. It reeled but recovered quickly, its gaze snapping toward her. She fired again, her aim steady, but the machine advanced with unnerving persistence.
“Get back!” Daniel shouted, driving his pipe into the first hunter’s neck joint. It collapsed in a heap, its circuits sparking as it spasmed.
The third hunter, the largest of the trio, unleashed a burst of gunfire from its arm-mounted weapon. Daniel barely had time to duck behind a crumbling wall as the ground around him exploded in a shower of dirt and debris.
Lily took advantage of the chaos, shifting her position to get a clearer shot. Her rifle cracked again, the bullet slamming into the weapon arm of the third hunter. It sparked and smoked, the machine pausing to recalibrate.
“Nice shot!” Daniel called, emerging from cover to finish off the second hunter. He swung hard, his pipe smashing through its head casing. The machine fell, its glowing eyes flickering out.
The third hunter, now damaged and cornered, recalculated its priorities. With a metallic whirr, it retreated, disappearing into the haze. Daniel knew better than to think it was over.
“They’ll be back,” he said, turning to Lily. She was breathing heavily, but her hands were steady as she reloaded her rifle.
“Then we keep moving,” she replied.
The group regathered, their relief palpable but short-lived. Daniel led them toward an abandoned bunker he remembered from years ago, a place he had used as a temporary shelter. The entrance was partially buried, but with some effort, they cleared the rubble and descended into the dark, musty space.
Inside, the air was stale, and the walls were marked with old warnings scrawled in red paint: THEY WILL FIND YOU and NOWHERE IS SAFE.
“Comforting,” one of the younger members muttered.
Daniel ignored them, sweeping the room for threats. It was empty, though signs of its former occupants remained—a rusted lantern, a few tattered sleeping bags, and a crumpled map pinned to the wall.
Lily approached the map, her eyes narrowing as she traced its faded lines. “It marks a path,” she said, her voice tinged with hope. “A route north. This might be what we’ve been looking for.”
Daniel frowned. “Or it’s a trap. People don’t leave maps like this out of kindness.”
“Maybe,” Lily said, meeting his gaze. “But what choice do we have?”
As the group settled in for a brief rest, Daniel found himself sitting apart, his back against the wall. He couldn’t shake the tension coiled in his chest. Trusting others, staying close—it was a mistake. It always was.
“Daniel.”
He looked up to see Lily standing over him, her expression unreadable.
“You didn’t have to stay,” she said softly. “But you did. Why?”
He didn’t answer right away. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t get yourselves killed.”
She nodded, not pressing him further. “Well, thank you. For what it’s worth.”
Before he could respond, a low vibration began to hum through the walls. The group tensed, their murmurs silencing as the sound grew louder.
Daniel’s eyes widened. “They’ve tracked us.”
