Chapter 44: Intruder
Kaya
I’m not sure how long I’ve been running—minutes, hours? Time feels warped, but one thing is painfully certain: I’m about to die. My pulse hammers relentlessly in my ears, and every breath feels like it’s setting my lungs on fire, the air too sharp, too scarce.
I have no one to blame but myself.
Back in Dark Wood, physical exertion was never part of my daily routine. Damien made sure of that. He didn’t like me engaging in "anything remotely dangerous or harmful," as he’d always phrase it.
I never fully understood what that meant––I’ve been through a lot of dangerous and harmful shit in the past––but I didn’t complain. At the time, it felt like a blessing. After all, why train when there was no reason to fight?
But now, I’m paying the price for all those idle days—every burning muscle and every gasping breath a reminder of the strength I never built.
"Are you alright?" Samantha’s voice slices through the fog of my exhaustion, and I force myself to respond without choking on my own breath. "Yeah... I’m good."
"You don’t look good," she frowns, slowing to a stop and throwing her arm in front of me to halt my staggering steps. "Your face is bright red. Keep going like this, and I swear, you’ll pass out with a nosebleed."
She’s not wrong—my head feels like it’s about to burst, as if the pressure might crack my skull open.
"Let’s take a break," Sam urges, gently steering me off the path and onto the grass. "At this rate, you won’t even finish the first lap."
The words sting, and I wince—not from her tone, but from the truth in it.
Still, I shake my head, unwilling to accept defeat. I will finish all three laps. I have to. Not just to prove it to them, but to myself. I need to show that I don’t require special treatment, not anymore.