Into The Mire

They thought the wilderness would keep them safe. They were wrong. Weeks after escaping the toxic collapse of civilization, Hazel and her found family are holding on by grit and ingenuity. Bash's remote cabin offers a fragile refuge-and the last clean water they can find. But even deep in the Oregon wilderness, safety is an illusion. When a group of desperate strangers stumble into their camp, kindness comes at a cost. A betrayal puts their hidden spring at risk-and draws the attention of the very people Hazel fled from: the Wellspring cult. Now armed and allied with a rogue faction of the National Guard, the cult is no longer just dangerous-they're a rising power. Hazel and the others face impossible choices. Every resource is limited. Trust is thinner than ever. And as tensions escalate, they'll have to fight to keep their sanctuary from falling into the hands of those who would weaponize water itself. They've survived storms, sickness, and starvation. But war is coming-and it's not just the world outside that could destroy them.