The darkness inside the truck was thick, pressing in from all sides, broken only by the occasional shudder and groan of the vehicle moving over uneven ground.
I could feel the weight of exhaustion pulling at me, but it wasn't strong enough to silence the thoughts swirling in my mind.
Beth sat across from me, her face barely visible in the dim light, but I could still make out the streaks of dried blood clinging to her skin, the tension in her shoulders, the way she held herself, not defeated, but not unaffected either.
I should've let it go.
Should've just let the silence stretch between us, let the question stay buried for another time.
But there was nothing else to do.
No distractions.
No fights to focus on.
Just us and the unknown, rattling inside this metal box.
And Beth… Beth might be the only one who had any real answers.
So I asked.
"How are you still alive?"
Beth didn't react at first.
