So-min stayed pinned to the earth, her muscles locked as she peered through the slick, wet ferns. Six months of isolation had trained her instincts to treat every shadow, every quiet step, and every unannounced arrival as a threat. Even with the familiar way the car had vanished into the treeline, she couldn't bring herself to break cover just yet.

Down near the turnout, one of the silhouettes moved away from the car, stepping cautiously onto the soft dirt shoulder of the road. The tall, broad frame cut through the mist, staying low beneath the sweeping arcs of the facility’s distant spotlights.