CHAPTER SIX HUNDRED AND FOUR – TWIST IN FATE

Anya nodded, then slipped back out into the night as quietly as she had come. With renewed determination, Jasmine and Sergei finalized their plans. The extra supplies and the map, crude as it was, greatly improved their chances. Still, both knew the dangers that lay ahead - the harsh Siberian wilderness, Sergei's deteriorating condition, and the very real possibility of pursuit from the village. As they settled in for a few hours of restless sleep before their predawn escape attempt, Jasmine found herself reflecting on the strange twists of fate that had brought them here. They had come to Siberia to document its brutal beauty and the resilience of its people. Now, they were living that story in ways they never could have imagined. In the darkest hours of the night, Jasmine rose silently, her every movement careful and deliberate. She gently roused Sergei, who bit back a groan of pain as he struggled to his feet. Together, they gathered their meager belongings and the precious suppl