The Questioner System (Ask Me Anything)

Chapter 28: Encircled

The faint snap of a branch sent a shiver down Adam's spine. He tightened his grip on the handgun, every muscle in his body screaming at him to run, even as he forced himself to stay still.

Victor crouched near the doorway, peering out into the inky blackness of the forest. His calm, deliberate movements were a stark contrast to Adam's trembling hands.

"Stay low, stay quiet," Victor whispered.

Marcus had taken up position near a cracked window, his rifle trained on the treeline. "I see movement," he murmured. "Five, maybe six. Hard to tell in this light."

Adam crawled over to the other side of the room, where a barricaded window offered a limited view of the forest. At first, he saw nothing but shadows. Then, a flicker of movement caught his eye—a figure darting between trees, their silhouette barely distinguishable from the darkness.

"Are they scouting, or are they moving in?" Adam asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Victor shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We treat this like they're attacking now."

The seconds stretched into minutes as the three men waited in tense silence. Outside, the night seemed alive with subtle sounds—the rustle of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl, and the occasional crunch of footsteps on the forest floor.

Then, a loud crack split the air, followed by the unmistakable whine of a bullet ricocheting off metal.

"They're testing us," Marcus growled, firing a quick burst from his rifle.

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Let them test. When they come, we'll make them regret it."

The attack came all at once. Shadows erupted from the treeline, sprinting toward the camp with terrifying speed. Adam's heart hammered in his chest as he raised his gun, his shaking hands struggling to aim.

Victor and Marcus opened fire, their weapons barking in the confined space of the room. The first wave of attackers fell, their bodies crumpling to the ground, but more kept coming.

"Keep your head down!" Victor barked, shifting his aim to another target.

Adam ducked as a bullet shattered the window above him, spraying glass everywhere. He fired blindly into the darkness, the recoil jarring his arm.

"They're circling us!" Marcus shouted. "Trying to cut off our escape routes!"

Victor's voice was ice-cold. "Then we hold the line."

Adam's world narrowed to the chaotic blur of gunfire and shadows. Every time he fired, he flinched, the deafening sound of the shots rattling his nerves. He couldn't tell if he was hitting anything—only that the attackers kept coming.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the camp, shaking the ground beneath them. Adam was thrown back, his ears ringing.

"What the hell was that?" he gasped, struggling to his feet.

"Grenade!" Marcus shouted, reloading his rifle. "They're getting desperate!"

Victor fired several shots through the shattered window, then turned to Adam. "You need to stay focused. No one's coming to save us. We either fight our way out or die here."

Adam swallowed hard, nodding.

As the attackers pressed closer, their strategy became clear. They weren't just trying to kill—they were trying to overwhelm. Smoke from the earlier explosion filled the air, making it harder to see. The sharp crack of gunfire was punctuated by the screams of the wounded, the chaos threatening to consume them all.

Victor threw a hand signal to Marcus, who nodded and moved to the opposite side of the room. "We can't stay pinned down like this!" Victor shouted.

Marcus grunted in agreement. "We need to break their momentum!"

Victor pulled a grenade from his pack, yanking the pin and lobbing it toward the advancing shadows. The explosion lit up the night, sending a wave of heat and debris through the camp.

The lull after the grenade's detonation gave them a brief moment to regroup. Adam's hands were still trembling as he reloaded his handgun, sweat dripping down his face.

"We need to move," Marcus said, his voice urgent. "They're regrouping out there, and we're sitting ducks if they get another wave in."

Victor nodded. "Agreed. Adam, stick close to me. Marcus, cover our rear."

The three men moved quickly, abandoning their fortified position and slipping out the back of the building. The cool night air hit Adam's face as they crouched low, making their way toward the edge of the camp.

The forest swallowed them whole, the dense foliage providing cover as they crept through the underbrush. Adam's heart pounded in his chest, every snapped twig and rustling leaf sending a jolt of fear through him.

Victor led the way, his movements silent and deliberate. Marcus stayed a few steps behind, his rifle at the ready. Adam was sandwiched between them, his gun clutched tightly in his hands.

"How far do we go?" Adam whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Far enough to lose them," Victor replied, his tone clipped. "They'll be expecting us to stay in the camp. We use that to our advantage."

The sounds of the attackers grew fainter as they moved deeper into the forest. Adam's legs burned with exhaustion, but he didn't dare slow down.

Finally, Victor signaled for them to stop. They crouched behind a cluster of rocks, catching their breath.

"Did we lose them?" Marcus asked, scanning the darkness.

Victor nodded. "For now. But we can't stay here. They'll spread out, and it's only a matter of time before they pick up our trail again."

Adam leaned against a tree, his chest heaving. "How much longer can we keep this up?"

Victor's expression was grim. "As long as we have to."

As the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees, the trio pressed on, their exhaustion evident in every step. The fight wasn't over—it had only just begun. And Adam couldn't shake the feeling that this was all leading to something much bigger, something he wasn't ready to face.

For now, survival was all that mattered.