The journey pressed on.

  After more than ten days of walking, the group was exhausted, but they kept their heads high—their destination was near.

  In the distance, survivors moved unaware of the shadow stalking them: a lion prowled silently through the grass.

  "Look! The bridge—it’s destroyed…" Julia, the librarian, excimed.

  The wooden bridge, where the train tracks continued, had colpsed.

  "There’s no way across here. We’ll backtrack and cross the river. The water doesn’t look deep," Luke ordered.

  They descended the hill and crossed the river.

  "Uff… the water feels nice, Dad," Natasha said.

  Walce held Balto while his father guided him and his sister by the hand.

  Watching that image of unity, Ander couldn’t help but see in Martin the reflection of his own father—a man willing to do anything to protect his family.

  The group crossed without trouble and climbed the hill, entering a field of grass taller than two meters.

  "Lix, lend me your machete. I’ll take point," Néstor requested.

  "Here," Lix replied, handing it over.

  Andrew stepped forward.

  "Form a line, one behind the other. Women and children in the center," he ordered.

  "Magnus and I will stay at the rear to cover our backs," Luke added.

  They entered the tall grass in formation. Ander advanced with his friends.

  Something moved among the stalks, watching, shifting quickly.

  "Wait—silence," Néstor said, stopping.

  "What is it? Did you see something?" Lix asked, walking behind him.

  "I heard something," Néstor replied, sheathing the machete and drawing his weapon.

  Everyone froze, silent.

  Néstor gripped his rifle, cautiously turning in a full circle.

  Suddenly, something rushed toward them.

  An antelope burst through the grass, sprinting between them.

  "What a scare!" Anna shouted.

  "Keep moving," Néstor said, trying to stay calm.

  But the grass behind Lix rustled.

  "Lix, behind you!" Néstor shouted.

  A hostile leapt without warning, biting deep into Lix’s neck, tearing a gruesome wound.

  Lix colpsed.

  "Hostiles in the grass!" Andrew warned, opening fire.

  More hostiles appeared, and the group fired back.

  "Move forward!" Luke ordered, shooting.

  Néstor lifted Lix and carried him.

  Adriano fired one-handed while supporting Iván.

  In the chaos, a hostile lunged at Martin and his children. He stepped in front to protect them.

  "Walce, take your sister. Protect her," Martin said, raising his weapon.

  He shot the hostile, killing it.

  But as he ran toward his children, another beast tackled him, tearing him apart on the ground.

  "Papa!" Natasha cried, sobbing as she saw her father fall.

  Walce grabbed her hand and forced her to keep running, growls echoing everywhere.

  "Count your bullets! Be ready to reload!" Andrew ordered, firing nonstop as he ran.

  The group pushed through the endless grass.

  A hostile fell upon Rogelio, biting his left arm and dragging him away until he vanished.

  His screams echoed until fading into silence.

  "No… it can’t be," Carlo murmured, horrified.

  Andrew, Ander, Carlo, and Julia stayed together, cornered by the swarm.Ander’s fury surged.

  "Enough!" he roared.

  He unched himself at them.

  With a kick, he crushed one’s chest and sent it flying.

  With both hands, he seized another’s head and ripped it off, decapitating it.

  His eyes glowed gold once more.

  "Run!" Ander shouted, unleashing a power from deep within.

  The four broke free of the grass and rejoined the others.Néstor id Lix’s corpse on the ground.

  Natasha and Walce wept for their father, Rebecca holding them tenderly in their grief.

  "Are you all right? Where’s Rogelio?" Luke asked.

  Carlo shook his head, unable to speak.

  "He’s dead."

  No time to rest.

  A hostile attacked Andrew from behind, biting his arm and dragging him.

  "Andrew!" Ander cried, rushing to him.

  Furious, Ander drove his fist through the hostile’s abdomen.

  The beast dropped Andrew and colpsed.

  Ander crushed its skull beneath his foot.

  "This shouldn’t have happened…" Andrew said, clutching his bleeding arm.

  Ander bent down. "Where did it bite you?"

  "Ander, watch out!" Alicia warned.

  Another hostile appeared—but before it could strike, a lion leapt, roaring, and bit into its skull, crushing it.

  Ander stared, stunned, as the lion fixed its gaze on him.

  With the hostile’s head still in its jaws, the lion dragged the corpse back into the grass.

  Seizing the moment, Ander lifted Andrew and moved with the group to safer ground.

  "Can you walk?" Ander asked.

  "Yes… let’s keep going," Andrew replied, struggling.

  Ander looked back.

  "Never imagined a saber-tooth lion would save my life."

  Adrenaline surged as they pressed on after the attack.

  Wounded and exhausted, the group stayed united, determined to find a safe pce to rest and treat their injuries.

  At the top of a hill, they sought higher ground to calm themselves.

  "Help me with Andrew," Ander requested.

  Alicia tried to bandage his arm as Rogelio had taught, to stop the bleeding.

  "Make sure we weren’t followed," Luke ordered.

  "What was that? A nest? Why so many of them?" Adriano asked, still shaken.

  Cody raised his spygss.

  "Hey, look over there."

  In the distance, he spotted the outer watch base of Zafarí.

  "It’s the base!" Néstor excimed.

  "We made it?" Italia asked, hugging Mabel.

  "You hear that, Andrew? They can treat you there… What?" Ander said, stunned.

  He turned to Andrew, frozen, disbelief in his eyes.

  "No… it can’t be…"

  Andrew’s eyes glowed with an intense golden light—just like Ander’s had before.

  Everyone stared at him, shocked.

  "I can expin," Andrew said.