Three thousand six hundred and nine.

Time passes at a crawling pace.

Killian's limp body lies at my feet. In the darkness of the night, his face is difficult to make out. Still, I've spent what feels like hours studying his features. His warmth, even in the unconscious state, radiates from his skin. Every so often, doubts seep into my mind. Had I hit him too hard? Has the cloud done something else to take him?

Chest rising and falling at a consistent rate, I occasionally press my fingers to where his jaw meets his neck, comforted by the steady pulse.

Three thousand six hundred and fifty four.

Killian is my only comfort in the cloud, the only thing keeping me from feeling entirely alone. It's just me, Killian, the distant screams of my loved ones and a voice, however small, in the back of my mind. High-pitched and childlike. Samu's voice with one simple reminder that keeps me sane.

It's not real.

At 4802 seconds, the screams subside. At 5000, the first sounds settle in. The stream trickles outside, a gentle breeze picks up, and then--voices. I stay frozen in the tent as Casimir's low voice carries through the material, calling my name. I can't be sure whether it's a trick of the cloud or if it's real.

Only when the sheet brushes aside do I allow myself to take a breath. Lei ducks her head in, eyes narrowing in on Killian slumped on the floor.

"Lei?" I breathe a sigh of relief, my voice shaking. "Is that really you?"

A deep cut slashes across her cheek, her hair tangled with mud. "What happened?" she demands. "Is he--"

"He's okay, I-I knocked him out. The cloud was... it was...here."

"You knocked him out?" She leans back on the balls of her feet, raising an eyebrow. "Impressive."

I blink at her, still shaken by the cloud. "Is Casimir--"

At my question, Lei's shoved aside, Casimir taking her place. "Hey," he says, surveying the tent. "You guys okay?"

I nod numbly, taking the hand he offers me to clamber out with a quick glance at Killian's slumped form. It's still dark outside, but the sky is clearer than it was when we pitched the tent, the moon reflecting on the surface of the stream.

Juem and Lei wait outside, Juem rifling through his bag. I survey the three of them, the relief coursing through my veins almost overwhelming. While I waited, I didn't let myself think about them. I couldn't. Because the one time I did, it invited the screams in. Their screams. And those were harder to convince myself they were false.

But on their appearance, it seems that what Killian and I faced may have been less dangerous than them. Wounds litter their bodies, blood marking their clothes. Lei's cut still oozes with fresh blood.

"We need to keep moving. We've lost two hours, at least. And one of the horses."

"Killian is still unconscious," I say.

Juem rises to his feet with a root from his back. He moves to the tent. "I'll wake him up."

I turn back to Lei. "What happened? Did you get stuck in the cloud, too?"

She shakes her head. "The cloud only rolled through the valley. We saw it coming, but it was too late to warn you. But don't worry, we had challenges of our own."

Before she can explain, a groan echoes from inside the tent. Then low, murmured voices as the material ruffles and the both of them crawl out, Killian's movements much more labored. He squeezes his eyes, rubbing a hand down the length of his face as he shoves to his feet.

He scans the length of Casimir before resting his gaze on Lei, swaying slightly.

"You look terrible," she says to him. "Freya got a good knock on you."

Killian rolls his shoulders back, rubbing the back of his head. It seems bizarre to see him act so normal after the state he was previously in, so distressed at the sounds of his sister. "I'll bet she enjoyed it, too."

"I did not," I say, far too quickly. All eyes dart to me, Lei's eyebrows raised. The teasing expression on Killian's face melts away. I shift uncomfortably. "Lei's right. We should get moving. We've wasted enough time."

Casimir starts packing the tent down. "What happened to you guys?" Killian asks.

"We were waiting for the cloud to dissipate when an infected came by. We were so distracted by the cloud we didn't notice until it was almost too late."

"Stupid," Casimir says, "we were stupid. All three of us."

Lei doesn't disagree. "We managed to hold it off for a few minutes. One of the horses spooked and bolted. Thankfully, it chased after the horse, not us. Not before it got a good few swipes. Juem gave me some cream. It will be fine."

"We'll have to squeeze on the two remaining horses," Juem says. "We won't be able to use them when we reach the forest, anyway, which is only a few hours' ride away."

"Killian, Freya and I will ride together. Juem and Casimir on the other."

Killian nods. "Let's go then."

We start up the hill, Killian a beat behind me. I watch him from the corner of my eye. He notices me staring. "Are you sure you should be getting on a horse?" I ask.

"Are you really so desperate not to ride with me that you'll force a poor injured man to walk?" he teases.

"I'm serious."

His smile slips away. "I'm fine, Freya. You didn't hit me that hard. It's just a bump."

I nibble the edge of my lip but continue forward. The two horses wait for us on the hill. Relief floods through me when I realise the horse with all our baggage is still there. Juem and Casimir mount it, looking comically squashed on its back. I glance at the larger horse, surveying its strong legs and muscled back.

"After you," Lei nods at me.

I mount the horse, proud of myself for not requiring any assistance. Killian swings himself over, settling behind me, and Lei behind him, wrapping her hands around his waist as he reaches forward for the reins. His arms come around me. This time, I don't resist his closeness, letting my body sink into his chest.

"Hey." Killian's lips brush against my ear, causing me to angle my head towards him. He's so close his lips brush the tip of my nose, sending a chill down my spine. "Thank you."

I try to search for a snide remark, one that Killian might have made to me if the situations were reversed. But I don't find anything. Perhaps it's because of the look in his eyes--one of the very few times when I see his authenticity.

So I just turn back around, clenching my thighs as the horse picks up speed, succumbing to the comfort in Killian's arms.

***

The forest stands guard around the base of the Saulun mountains. Flat and vast, the terrain ahead gives us plenty of warning for what awaits us. It starts abruptly, a dark blanket coating the floor, the jagged tips of the mountain stabbing the sky like teeth where they rise.

The rising sun peeks through the valley between them, coating the tops of the trees in a warm orange. It's a welcome sight. Being able to see so far ahead in the daylight is certainly an advantage when it comes to avoiding both the infected and the cloud.

Yet I can't help but wonder if the sun is a disadvantage for us in the forest. If the infected don't like daylight, won't they be more likely to seek shelter in the shade during day? I ignore the nagging voice in the back of my mind as we near the forest line, the horses powering at full speed.

We come to a stop twenty minutes later at the entrance to the forest, not quite delving in. As Casimir and Juem dismount their horse, I stare at its depths. Lei was right. The foliage is nothing like the forests in Elel. It's unruly and thick, the earth between the trees covered in a thick moss.

Lei and Killian dismount the horse. I slide down after them, wobbling slightly as I land on my feet. Killian's hand wraps around my arm. I meet his gaze. "You alright?"

I nod. His eyes linger longer than his touch. Releasing my arm, he reaches into his bag, pulling out a metal contraption. My heart stutters. A gun. I haven't seen one since I found Cas's stowed away.

Killian holds it towards me. "Don't use it unless you absolutely have to," he says. "Unless there's no other option."

"Avoid killing the infected if it can be helped," I rephrase with a nod, remembering what he'd said about them. They could very easily be people he knew. They could be his parents. "Got it."

"Not only that," Juem says, joining us, "but guns are loud. If you shoot one, it's likely the sound will only attract more."

I gulp. "Let's get moving," Killian orders. "I'll lead us, Lei, bring up the rear. You two, in the middle." Cas and I nod, tucking the gun in the waistband of my pants. Lei ties the horses to a branch for the journey back.

I stare at them as we wander off, hoping we will get back and we didn't just sign these horses' death warrant.