"Run, brother!" the older boy shouted, voice sharp with panic.
The younger one's feet pounded against the forest floor, breath shaky, eyes wide. Leaves slapped his face as he pushed through the thick brush. Behind them—shouts, dogs barking, the crunch of boots.
"They're getting closer!" the kid cried.
"I know!" the older one snapped, grabbing his brother's arm and pulling him sharply to the left, down a slope. "This way!"
They slid, dirt and rocks flying behind them. The forest around them blurred—trees flashing past like streaks of green and black.
Crack!
A bullet tore through a branch above their heads. Bark exploded. The younger boy yelped, stumbled, but the older one caught him.
"Don't stop. They're not gonna show mercy," he said, eyes glowing faintly now. Just for a second. A soft shimmer—like starlight rippling under his skin.
More men appeared at the top of the slope. Guns raised.
"There! Don't let them escape!"
