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He stayed far enough back. Far enough to not be seen. But close enough to not lose them. His heart wouldn’t slow down. Every instinct told him to turn around. To run the other way. To get as far from them as possible. But he didn’t. He stepped forward again, easing past a low branch— crack. Billy froze. The sound felt too loud. Too sharp. One of the soldiers stopped. Billy’s chest tightened as the man slowly turned his head, scanning the trees. “…you hear that?” Another soldier paused. “Yeah.”