The cavern glowed orange with the first fingers of dawn.
Tim sagged against the wooden cross, arms stretched wide, wrists raw where the ropes dug deep. His chest was striped with lashes, every breath burning, every heartbeat slower than the last. The crackling fire around him hissed low, flames shrinking, shadows retreating.
Soon, sunlight would break fully into the cavern. And when it touched him, he would vanish.
Jenny had promised him that before she left. Here it comes, she had whispered, her lips brushing his ear like a lover's curse. Then she had walked away, whip in hand, hips swaying as if she had not just left him to die.
Tim's head drooped, blood dripping from his lip. Maybe he deserved it. Tammy was gone because of him. He hadn't been able to save her. He hadn't been able to kill Jenny. He had lost everything.
The heavy cavern door creaked.
Tim forced his eyes open, weakly lifting his head.
A figure limped inside, haloed in firelight.
His heart stuttered. "…Tammy?"
She staggered forward, her blonde hair tangled with dirt and blood, her vest torn and hanging off her bruised frame. Her steps were uneven, dragging, but her eyes—God, her eyes still burned.
Tim's breath caught in his throat. He had held her dying body in his arms. He had felt her go still.
Yet here she was, defiant against death itself.
Tammy gave a crooked smirk, though her lips trembled. "Disappointed I'm not a ghost?"
His chest heaved. "Tammy… I saw you… I thought—"
"Dead?" Her voice was hoarse, but her smile remained. "Not yet. But close enough."
She climbed the stone steps with effort, every motion costing her strength. Her hands shook as she reached for the ropes binding him. She fumbled, cursed under her breath, and tugged until the knots loosened.
The bonds snapped. Tim collapsed forward into her, his body half-naked, skin burning with lashes. She caught him with what little strength she had left, holding him up against her trembling frame.
"Why?" His voice cracked, thick with grief. "Why come back? You should've run."
Her hand cupped his cheek, forcing his dazed eyes to meet hers. "Because you can't die here. Not like this."
Tears stung his eyes. "You'll die instead."
Tammy gave a faint laugh that ended in a cough. "I was already dying, Tim. Jenny made sure of that." She swayed, her blood smearing against his chest as she steadied herself.
From her side she pulled a knife, the blade dulled and stained. She pressed it into his palm, curling his fingers around it with both hands.
"Listen to me," she whispered, her forehead pressing against his, her voice breaking but firm. "Only one of us can survive the sunrise. It has to be you."
Tim shook his head, clutching the knife but refusing it at the same time. "No. I can't lose you again. We'll find another way—"
"There is no other way." Her grip on his hand tightened, her nails digging into his skin. "The village doesn't let us both walk out. If you stay, we both vanish. If you leave… at least one of us matters."
His chest broke. He wanted to scream, to argue, to promise her everything. But the words stuck in his throat.
Tammy's eyes softened, even as pain carved into them. "You were the one who kept me alive this long. The one who made me believe I wasn't just another body waiting for sunrise. Don't let that be for nothing."
The first pale rays of dawn slid through the cracks in the cavern, glowing against the floor. Time was slipping away.
Tim's knife hand shook violently. "Tammy, please—"
Her voice lowered, barely above a whisper. "Revenge for me. Kill her, Tim. Kill Jenny. Make her pay for both of us."
Her forehead rested against his, her breath ragged, her strength nearly gone. The heat of her blood seeped into him, heavy and final.
Tears blurred his vision. He clutched the knife tighter, his heart breaking in his chest.
"I don't want to survive without you," he choked.
Her lips brushed his cheek, the faintest ghost of a kiss. "You don't get to choose. Live. For me."
The sunlight crawled higher, touching her feet. Tammy's body trembled. She shoved him back with what little strength she had, pushing him toward the cavern's shadowed edge.
Tim stumbled, knife clenched, his throat raw with a scream he couldn't let out.
"Go!" Tammy shouted, voice cracking, her final command.
And as the light spread across the cavern, Tim knew she was right.
Only one of them would survive the morning.
And Tammy had chosen him.