The traveler’s eyes locked onto Jacob’s hiding spot, his expression shifting from surprise to something far darker—an unsettling calculation, as if piecing together exactly why Jacob had come. Suspicion hardened into cold intent.
Jacob’s heart thundered in his chest as the traveler motioned to his team. They advanced with grim precision, weapons raised and aimed squarely at him. The traveler’s voice cut through the tension, low and menacing. “Well, well. Looks like we’ve got ourselves an unexpected guest.”
Fear unlike anything Jacob had ever known gripped him tight. His body trembled, pulse roaring in his ears. The glint of weapons was impossible to ignore. Every survival instinct screamed at him to run, but he was frozen in place, paralyzed by dread.
The traveler stepped forward, his cold gaze unwavering. “You’re not here by accident,” he sneered. “So tell me—what exactly were you hoping to accomplish?” Jacob’s breath caught as he struggled to find words, mind scrambling for a way out.
Summoning every ounce of courage, Jacob rose to his feet, clutching the thick branch like a lifeline. His voice cracked with raw emotion as he shouted, “You can’t keep hurting these animals! They don’t deserve this!” The branch was raised, hands trembling but resolve fierce.
The traveler laughed cruelly, a dark, mocking sound that echoed through the clearing. “You think you’ll stop me with that?” he sneered, gesturing disdainfully at the branch. “Pathetic. You’ve just signed your own death warrant, fool. Think you’re walking out of here alive?”
The traveler’s words sent a cold shiver down Jacob’s spine, but he didn’t lower the branch. Heart pounding, he stood his ground beneath the weight of imminent danger. The traveler aimed his weapon, and the team closed in, their intent deadly and clear.
Suddenly, the forest exploded into noise—sirens blared, lights flashed through the trees, and Bernie’s frantic barks tore through the tension like a battle cry.