Kael
The first step hurt more than the trap.
Not because the trap hadn’t been worse, but because this time I was choosing it.
The moment I put weight on the leg, pain tore up through it in a sharp, blinding line that forced my vision to narrow for a second. My body reacted on instinct, trying to pull back, trying to protect what was already damaged, but I locked it down and held my ground until the worst of it passed.
I wasn’t staying there.
That wasn’t an option.
I shifted my weight more carefully the second time, testing the balance, forcing the leg to take what it could without collapsing entirely. It held, barely, but it held.
Good enough.
I reached down, tightening the makeshift tourniquet I had twisted from Brent’s shirt, pulling it just enough to slow the bleeding without cu
