Chapter 18: Into the Shadows

As consciousness slowly returned to Samantha, she found herself disoriented, her surroundings a blur of shadows and muffled sounds. Blinking away the haze, she tried to sit up, only to realize she was bound tightly, unable to move.

"Adrian?" she called out, her voice echoing in the dimness.

A soft rustling nearby drew her attention, and she strained against her restraints to see who—or what—was there.

"Samantha," a voice whispered, barely audible above the distant rumble of unseen activity. "Are you awake?"

Recognition flooded Samantha as she recognized the voice. "Lucas?" she whispered back, relief mingling with confusion. "What's going on? Where are we?"

There was a moment of silence before Lucas spoke again, his tone grave. "We're in the enemy's camp," he said. "They've captured us."

Samantha's heart sank as the reality of their situation settled over her. "How did this happen?" she asked, her mind racing to make sense of their predicament.

"I'm not sure," Lucas admitted. "W