Chapter 463: No Escape from Karma

Bill sagged, relief crashing over him so hard he nearly collapsed.

I smiled, slow and cold.

"But he has to do something for me first."

I locked eyes with Bill.

"Go back out there," I said. "Tell them you found the supplies. Tell them it’s safe. Bring them here.

All

of them. This is your last chance."

Bill stared at me, then nodded frantically, already backing toward the entrance.

"Yes—yes—thank you—I’ll do it—I swear—"

He turned and ran, disappearing into the dark forest.

I reopened the world map, watching his red dot move fast through the trees—straight back to Jack and Drake’s group.

He wasn’t running away.

He was obeying.

Good.

I looked at Mira and Nicole.

"They’re coming," I said quietly. "All of them."

Mira’s arms tightened around her daughter, her voice shaking.

"Please... don’t hurt them..." she whispered again.

Nicole echoed her, tears fresh.

"Please..."

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I walked outside, Angela and Lisa flanking me, Camilla trailing behind.

We waited.

Minutes later, firelight flickered between the trees again.

Jack stepped out first, gun in hand, pointed at me. Behind him, Drake—still handless, his bandaged stumps supported by two men—Bill, and ten other ragged survivors, armed with knives, bats, and a couple of small wooden sticks they somehow found.

They froze when they saw me standing there, casual and waiting, Angela and Lisa at my sides.

Jack’s pistol was steady, the muzzle pointed straight at my chest. His finger twitched on the trigger, his knuckles white, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. He thought he had the upper hand. He didn’t.

Lisa moved instantly, her body shifting like a shadow, stepping between us. Her arm pressed against my chest, shielding me, her own pistol already half-drawn. The message was clear: You want to shoot? You’ll have to go through me first.

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t need to.

Because that’s when I saw them—two figures crashing through the underbrush, their boots pounding against the earth, their breath ragged, their voices raw with desperation.

Megan and Hailey.

They burst into the clearing, their bodies glistening with sweat, their hair matted to their faces, their chests heaving. Megan’s torn shirt clung to her skin, her scalp still crusted with dried blood from earlier. Hailey’s face was flushed, her eyes wild, her lips parted as she gasped for air.

"Don’t—!" Megan screamed, her voice cracking, her hands outstretched as if she could physically push us back. "DON’T GO IN THERE—IT’S A TRAP—RUN!"

Drake’s head snapped toward them, his face twisting in furious disbelief.

"Megan?!" he roared, his voice booming through the forest. "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET HERE?! HAILEY—DID YOU LET HER LOOSE?!"

Megan didn’t even look at him. Her eyes were locked onto me, then Lisa, then the dark tree line behind us. She knew. She knew.

"IT’S NOT TIME FOR THIS!" she snarled, her voice raw with panic. "RUN, YOU IDIOTS—RUN NOW—!"

Hailey stumbled beside her, her legs shaking, her breath coming in sobs. "She’s right—!" she choked out. "They’re—they’re waiting—!"

Jack’s grip on his pistol faltered for just a second. His eyes flicked between Megan, Hailey, and the cave entrance. He hesitated.

That was his first mistake.

I didn’t move. I didn’t need to.

I just nodded at Lisa.

She tapped her earpiece, her voice a cold, deadly whisper:

"Take action."

At first, it was just dots of light—tiny, flickering pinpricks in the darkness. Then more. And more. Dozens of them, swirling through the trees, moving in perfect, synchronized patterns.

Jack’s gun wavered. "What the—?"

Drake squinted, his bandaged stumps twitching. "Flashlights?" he growled. "Who the hell—?"

The men around them froze, their weapons half-raised, their eyes straining into the dark. They couldn’t see the figures yet. Just the lights, dancing, closing in.

"Who’s there?!" one of them shouted, his voice cracking.

"Show yourselves!" another barked, gripping his rifle tighter.

Megan’s breath hitched. She knew. Her eyes widened, her body going rigid. "No..." she whispered. "No, no, no—"

Hailey grabbed her arm, her nails digging into Megan’s skin. "Megan, what’s happening—?"

Megan didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her throat was too tight, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Then—

The lights stopped moving.

And the women stepped out of the shadows.

The Soldiers Reveal Themselves

One second, the forest was empty.

Next, they were everywhere.

Female soldiers. Dozens of them. Clad in black tactical gear, night-vision goggles flipped down over their eyes, rifles raised, red laser dots painting every chest, every forehead.

Jack’s face went slack. His gun clattered to the ground.

"WHAT THE FUCK—?!" he choked out, stumbling back. "SOLDIERS?!"

Drake’s breath came in a raging snarl. "You bitch—!" he spat at Megan, his voice trembling with fury. "You led us into this—!"

Megan didn’t hear him. She was staring at the rifles, at the dozens of muzzles all aimed directly at them. Her legs gave out. She hit her knees, her hands flying up, her voice a broken whisper:

"Oh God..." she breathed. "Oh God—"

Hailey collapsed beside her, her body shaking violently. "We’re dead..." she whimpered. "We’re all dead—"

The men around them froze, their faces draining of color. Some dropped their weapons instantly. Others tried to raise them, only to find three, four, five laser dots suddenly centered on their chests.

"DON’T MOVE!" a soldier barked, her voice amplified through a comms piece, echoing like thunder.

Jack’s hands shot up, his pistol slipping from his fingers. His voice was a broken rasp:

"W-Wait—!" he stammered. "We don’t want trouble—!"

Drake didn’t surrender. Not at first. His face twisted in pure, arrogant defiance. He spat on the ground, his voice a venomous hiss:

"You think this scares me?" he sneered, though his hands were shaking. "You think women can break me?"

A soldier stepped forward, her rifle pressing against his temple. He flinched, his breath hitching, his body going rigid.

"Kneel," she ordered, her voice ice-cold.

Drake’s knees buckled. Not because he wanted to. Because his body betrayed him.

Lisa stepped forward, her pistol still trained on Jack, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade:

"Surrender."

She didn’t shout. She didn’t need to.

"Or die."

Silence.

Then—

Weapons clattered to the ground.

One by one, the men dropped to their knees, their hands trembling in the air. Jack was last, his pride crumbling, his gun falling from his fingers like it was burning him.

Megan sobbed, her body wracked with shuddering breaths. Hailey clutched at her, her own tears streaming down her face.

"I’m sorry..." Hailey whimpered. "I’m so sorry—"

Megan couldn’t speak. She could only stare at the soldiers, at the muzzles pointed at her, at the cold, unfeeling eyes behind the goggles.

She had warned them.