The Hunters moved with lethal precision.
Eko ripped a tree branch out of the ground and swung it like a club, sending two Hunters flying.
Lolly fired from behind a boulder, each shot perfect.
Geo grabbed a fallen Hunter's knife — then froze when a masked figure ran toward him shouting:
"Geo?! GEO IS THAT YOU?!"
Geo's blood ran cold.
He recognized that voice.
He ripped the mask off the attacker.
It was Oran—his childhood friend.
Lolly's eyes widened. "Wait—Geo, you know them?!"
Eko snarled. "You brought them here?"
Geo shouted, "I DIDN'T! Oran, stop! Don't hurt them!"
But Oran looked past Geo at Eko's glowing veins.
"That thing is infected… You're traveling with a monster?!"
Eko lunged forward in fury.
"Say that again," he growled, eyes burning.
Geo shoved himself between them.
"ENOUGH!"
But the damage was done.
The Hunters retreated — not defeated, only delayed.
Oran shouted as he disappeared into the trees:
"Geo, you're on the wrong side! We'll be back for him!"
The camp fell silent, tension thick.
Lolly looked at Eko. "You weren't going to kill him… right?"
Eko didn't answer.
And that terrified her.