The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Chapter 145: Back Home

The journey back to the main city felt surreal. The convoy of rescue trucks sped down the cracked dirt roads, bouncing over uneven ground as the dense forest faded behind them.

The trees thinned out, giving way to wider paths and eventually paved roads.

The faint traces of civilization, broken fences, old road signs, and rusting guardrails, signaled their return to safety.

Yet Athena couldn’t shake the tension that lingered in her chest.

The images of those twisted, infected crew members haunted her thoughts, and no amount of distance seemed to erase their grotesque faces from her mind.

The hospital’s bright lights stung her eyes when they arrived. Blurry figures in sterile uniforms rushed toward them, shouting for gurneys and preparing emergency stations.

Athena felt her arm pulled as a nurse guided her to one side, but her gaze remained locked on her friends. Marco’s body was limp, his face pale and slick with sweat.

His leg, swollen and twisted at an unnatural angle, looked far worse than Athena had realized.

Lisa was barely conscious, her breath faint and shallow. Bruises covered her face and arms, and her fingers trembled weakly when a nurse tried to take her pulse.

Darren’s face was pale, his ribs heavily wrapped as he grimaced with every movement.

His breathing was labored, and one of the paramedics muttered about possible internal bleeding.

"You’re hurt too," a nurse said firmly, steering Athena toward a nearby bed. Athena barely registered her words.

Her thoughts kept returning to her friends. They had fought so hard, survived so much, only to be left battered and broken. Guilt gnawed at her insides.

She had led them through the wilderness, made the decisions that kept them alive, but at what cost?

Athena winced as the nurse wiped a damp cloth across her forehead, revealing a gash she hadn’t noticed before. Dried blood clung to her skin, matting her hair to her scalp.

"You’re lucky," the nurse muttered. "This could’ve been worse."

Athena’s body ached all over, bruises along her ribs, scratches lining her arms, and muscles stiff from endless walking.

Yet her pain seemed insignificant compared to what Marco, Lisa, and Darren endured. She turned her head, watching as the doctors surrounded their beds.

"We did," Athena said with a strained smile. "We’re back in the city."

Tears welled in Lisa’s eyes, and she gripped Athena’s hand with surprising strength.

"I thought we wouldn’t... I thought we’d..." Her voice broke, and Athena leaned closer, holding her tightly as Lisa’s sobs shook her fragile body.

"We’re safe," Athena repeated softly. "It’s over."

But she knew it wasn’t over. Discover stories at novelhall.Côm

Even as her friends began to recover, Darren woke next, his exhausted smile filled with relief, and Marco finally stirring after a second surgery, Athena’s mind refused to rest.

The infected crew, the strange creatures that roamed the forest, and the unsettling feeling that something was still watching them haunted her every thought.

On her fifth night in the hospital, Athena overheard two nurses talking in hushed voices near the hallway.

"They said the third crew team’s still missing," one whispered.

"They’re probably gone too," the other replied grimly. "Like the others."

"What if they’re... like those things?"

Athena felt a chill run down her spine. She knew what they were implying. The infection, whatever had twisted those people into mindless, bloodthirsty beings, was still out there.

And if the third crew team hadn’t been found... it meant more horrors could still be waiting in the shadows.

Athena closed her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. Her friends needed her now, and she couldn’t afford to fall apart.

But deep down, she knew they weren’t truly safe yet. Whatever nightmare they had escaped in the forest... it was still out there, lurking in the darkness, waiting to strike again.

Athena barely slept that night, her mind racing with uneasy thoughts. The soft beeping of the monitors offered little comfort.

Each shadow cast by the hospital lights seemed to flicker and move, reminding her of those red-eyed creatures stalking through the trees.

She kept glancing at her friends, their battered bodies still fighting to recover. Athena clenched her fists tightly, vowing to stay strong.

If whatever cursed presence from the forest dared to follow them, she would be ready. They had survived too much, she wouldn’t let anything else take them away. Not now, not ever.