The rain had turned to smoke. It slithered through the trees, wrapping the forest in a choking veil of gray. Ezra stood frozen on the bridge, gun in hand, the echo of that single gunshot still shuddering through his bones.
"Kai?" he tried again, voice cracking into the comm. Only static answered him — a cold, unrelenting hiss that sounded too much like goodbye.
His pulse thundered in his ears. Logic screamed at him to keep moving, to follow the plan, to survive. But his body refused to obey. His boots felt glued to the soaked planks beneath him.
"Kai!" he shouted, louder this time. "Answer me!"
Nothing.
Ezra's stomach twisted. He could taste metal on his tongue — fear, guilt, and something far more dangerous. Without another thought, he turned back toward the forest.
"Ezra!" Mara's voice exploded through the comm, ragged and furious. "Don't you dare—"
But he was already running.
The world blurred into motion — trees flashing past, branches clawing at his clothes, the roar of the fire swelling with every step. Smoke burned his lungs, but he didn't care. All he could think about was the sound of that gunshot, the way Kai had looked at him before disappearing into the storm — like he'd already made peace with dying.
Ezra refused to let that be the end.
The heat hit him first. Then came the light — wild, flickering, alive. The fire had devoured half the ridge already, flames licking up the trees, swallowing the sky. Through the haze, gunfire cracked again. Short bursts. Controlled. Kai's style.
Ezra's heart lurched. He followed the sound, ducking behind a fallen log just as bullets tore through the underbrush. He raised his gun instinctively, eyes searching the chaos.
Then he saw him.
Kai crouched behind a boulder, firing in precise rhythm, movements sharp and mechanical even as flames closed in around him. Two bodies lay nearby — not moving. Three more shadows advanced through the smoke, rifles raised.
Ezra didn't think. He fired. Once. Twice.
The first shot missed. The second hit. One of the attackers dropped, the others scattering for cover. Kai turned sharply toward the sound, eyes locking onto Ezra through the haze. For the briefest moment, his face was unreadable — shock, anger, relief all tangled together.
Ezra broke from cover and ran.
"Are you insane?" Kai shouted as Ezra slid beside him.
"You weren't answering!" Ezra gasped.
Kai grit his teeth. "I told you to stay put."
"And let you die?" Ezra snapped back. "Not happening."
Their eyes met — fierce, unyielding — before Kai cursed under his breath and handed him an extra magazine. "Fine. Then make yourself useful."
The next few minutes blurred into chaos. They moved together like instinct — Kai firing short bursts to drive the enemy back while Ezra covered the flank. Every sound was magnified: the crack of rifles, the hiss of burning wood, the rush of blood in their ears.
When the last attacker fell, silence crashed down like thunder. Both men stood panting, smoke curling between them.
Kai turned on him immediately. "You could've gotten yourself killed."
Ezra's voice was raw. "You could've too."
"That's different."
"Why? Because you think you're the only one allowed to risk something?"
Kai's jaw tightened. "Because it's my job to protect you."
Ezra laughed — a short, bitter sound. "And who protects you, Kai? Who pulls you out when you decide to walk into hell alone?"
The words hung between them, sharp as the smoke. Kai said nothing. His silence was louder than any answer could've been.
Ezra took a step closer. "You can't keep pretending you don't care. Not after—"
Kai's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. His grip was firm, trembling slightly from adrenaline. His eyes burned in the firelight. "Don't."
Ezra's chest tightened. "Why not?"
"Because if I care, I start making mistakes."
Ezra met his gaze, steady. "Then make one."
The air between them crackled, the flames painting their faces in gold and shadow. Kai hesitated — the soldier in him fighting the man he was trying not to be. But Ezra didn't wait. He leaned in, closing the distance, and kissed him.
It wasn't like before — desperate or impulsive. This one was slow, deliberate, full of everything they'd been running from. The world roared around them — fire, rain, death — but for that moment, there was only the taste of smoke and the sound of two heartbeats trying to sync.
When they broke apart, Kai's hand lingered against the back of Ezra's neck. His voice was a whisper. "You shouldn't have come back."
"Then stop making me," Ezra murmured.
Kai's mouth twitched — almost a smile — before he pulled back, regaining his composure. "We have to move. The others won't hold out much longer."
Ezra nodded, wiping soot from his cheek. "Lead the way, boss."
As they pushed through the burning woods, the smoke began to thin. In the distance, gunfire echoed again — Jace and Mara still fighting their way down the ridge.
"Over there!" Ezra shouted.
They broke into a clearing to find Jace crouched behind an overturned ATV, firing at two figures advancing from the treeline. Mara was down beside him, leg bleeding, but still aiming with one steady hand.
"About time you two showed up," Jace gritted, not looking away from his target.
Kai didn't respond. He dropped to one knee and returned fire, precise and deadly. Within seconds, the attackers fell silent. The forest quieted again, save for the crackle of the flames closing in.
Mara grimaced as Kai knelt beside her, checking the wound. "It's not bad," she said through gritted teeth. "Just a graze."
Kai wrapped a torn strip of cloth around her thigh. "You'll live."
"I better," she muttered. "I still owe Jace fifty bucks."
Jace smirked. "Make it a hundred. You're getting sloppy."
"Shut up and carry me," she shot back.
He sighed dramatically, slinging her arm over his shoulder. "You're lucky you're cute."
"Lucky you're not," she hissed, limping beside him.
Ezra couldn't help but smile — even in the middle of chaos, they still found a way to bicker. It was strange, comforting. Real.
Kai motioned for them to move. "The bridge isn't far. Once we cross, we'll regroup at the airstrip."
"Assuming it's still there," Jace muttered.
"It's there," Kai said firmly. "It has to be."
They moved fast, guided by instinct and sheer willpower. The storm raged behind them, but the forest began to thin. The first signs of dawn bled through the clouds — faint, gray, hesitant.
When they finally reached the bridge again, Ezra glanced back at the burning ridge. The fire was spreading, devouring everything in its path.
Kai followed his gaze. "Let it burn."
Ezra nodded. "Good riddance."
They crossed in silence. The other side of the river felt almost alien — calmer, quieter, like the world hadn't been trying to kill them just minutes ago.
Mara winced but kept walking. Jace muttered under his breath about needing coffee. Kai stayed in the lead, eyes scanning the horizon. Ezra trailed behind, watching him.
The man who had once been untouchable — the one made of steel and scars — now looked human in the dawn light. And Ezra knew that scared Kai more than any enemy ever could.
When the first rays of sun finally broke through the clouds, Kai stopped at the edge of a clearing. In the distance, the faint outline of a hangar shimmered through the mist.
"There," he said. "The airstrip."
Jace exhaled in relief. "About damn time."
Mara smiled weakly. "Let's hope the plane still works."
Ezra looked at Kai, voice low. "And if it doesn't?"
Kai's eyes flicked to him, steady and unflinching. "Then we make it work."
For once, Ezra believed him completely.
They started walking again — four shadows against a rising sun, the fire still burning behind them. And as they moved toward the promise of escape, Ezra couldn't shake the feeling that their fight was far from over.
Because the storm hadn't ended.
It had only changed shape.