She hesitated. "Yeah. We're okay."
"You sound tired."
"Didn't sleep great," she lied. "It's colder here at night than I expected."
A beat passed.
"How's Marcus holding up?"
Her eyes flicked to him--still steady, still distant, still sharpening.
"He's... been great. Really."
Marcus glanced over his shoulder at the sound of her voice. Just once. Just enough. Then back to the trees.
"We're gonna try to move out tomorrow," Jake said. "We found a passable trail. Should meet halfway if all goes well."
Lily's stomach turned.
"Right," she said softly. "We'll be ready."
There was a longer pause.
"Miss you," Jake added.
She swallowed. "I miss you too."
But the words felt dry. Light. Like she could blow them off her tongue if she exhaled too hard.
The radio clicked. The silence that fo
