Every shadow moved. Every tree leaned slightly closer than before. But the group pressed on.
Susan walked beside Jude, her song still humming beneath her breath. It had beco instinctive now, a barrier between her mind and whatever thing lay in the roots of this place.
They found Grace by a shallow pool, her knees soaked, her hands trailing in the water.
She looked up when they approached. "She called ."
Emma stepped forward cautiously. "Who did?"
"Rose," Grace whispered. "She’s here. In the water."
"There’s no one in the water," Sophie said firmly.
Grace smiled, and the air turned colder.
"She’s everywhere now."
Suddenly, a hand shot out of the water and grabbed Grace’s wrist.
They scread.
Jude lunged forward and grabbed Grace, pulling with all his strength as a shape in the water rose. It was Rose, but not as she had been. Her face flickered, eyes black and bottomless, hair floating like seaweed. Her smile was that sa too-wide, too-sharp thing they had seen before.
Susan’s voice rose in song, high and clear.
The grip on Grace loosened.
Jude pulled her free just as Rose vanished back beneath the surface, her form rippling like ink across the water’s surface.
They scrambled back.
Grace coughed violently, her eyes wide. "She’s not dead. She’s not even hiding. She’s growing."
Sophie held her close, brushing hair from her face. "You’re safe now. We’ve got you."
"No," Grace said, voice hollow. "She’s got ."
That night, no one spoke much. They sat near the fire, eyes darting to shadows. Susan’s song was the only comfort, and even it faltered from ti to ti.
Jude took Sophie’s hand. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I miss before," she whispered. "When our biggest worry was food and storms."
"We’ll get back to that," he said. "Sohow."
She looked up at him, and they kissed, soft, slow, and desperate, trying to rember warmth.
Around the fire, others did the sa. Layla held Zoey, whispering apologies she barely understood. Natalie curled beside Susan, her fingers brushing her arm like an anchor. Even Emma sat with her head bowed, resting against Grace.
But Jude noticed sothing as he leaned back.
Lucy was gone.
No one had seen her leave.
And in the dark, just beyond the reach of the firelight, he thought he saw her.
Watching.Natalie was the first to stir. The morning fog still clung to the trees like a veil, pale and shifting, as she stepped barefoot onto the dewy grass. Her eyes scanned the woods instinctively, her breath shallow. Nothing moved. Nothing called. Yet the silence didn’t feel safe, it felt like a held breath. Like sothing waiting.
She turned toward the others. Sophie was already up, kneeling beside the fire pit and coaxing it back to life. Jude stood nearby, shirt half-buttoned, glancing now and then toward the forest as if expecting soone to erge. Susan sat a short distance away, quietly humming to herself, her gaze distant and her fingers weaving invisible threads into the air.
Natalie crossed over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Did Lucy co back last night?"
Jude shook his head. "Not yet."
"She’s still out there?"
"She left after the Grace incident. Didn’t say a word. Just... walked into the trees."
Sophie looked up. "She’s not like Rose. Not yet."
Natalie frowned. "That’s the thing. We keep saying ’not yet’ like it’s just a matter of ti."
"It might be," Susan said calmly. "But I don’t think we can stop it if it is."
Emma erged from one of the shelters, her arms crossed and jaw tight. "I want to try. I’m not giving up on anyone."
They had breakfast quietly, their voices low, eyes often trailing toward the tree line. Rose, Layla, and Zoey were the last to join. They arrived together, laughing softly at sothing none of the others heard. Their closeness was unmistakable now, an unbroken tether of touch and glances. Rose leaned her head on Zoey’s shoulder. Layla’s fingers toyed lazily with the ends of Rose’s hair.
It was seductive. Strange. Beautiful in a way that felt dangerous.
Jude studied them as they sat. Grace, who had remained quiet since the water, barely t anyone’s gaze. Her lips occasionally twitched, as if sothing behind her eyes was struggling to surface.
After they ate, the group split into smaller tasks. Emma, Sophie, and Susan gathered water and herbs from a nearby stream. Jude volunteered to walk the southern trail to check the fish traps. Natalie joined him without a word.
The air between them was quieter than usual. Tense. But when they paused at the edge of the riverbank, she finally asked, "Do you think we’re being hunted?"
Jude hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. But not in the usual way."
Natalie crouched beside the water and ran her fingers through it. "Do you rember when the worst thing we faced was a boar or a snake?"
"I’d take a thousand of them," Jude said. "Over whatever this is."
She reached for his hand. "Then don’t let it take us. You, , Sophie... Emma. Whatever this is, don’t let it make us strangers."
He squeezed her fingers. "I won’t."
They returned later with the fish, only to find that the others had set up a strange new shrine in the clearing.
At the center of it was Rose.
She stood behind a ring of carefully placed stones and woven vines, her body swaying slightly like she was hearing music the others couldn’t. Layla and Zoey stood at either side, their eyes shut, hands clasped in front of them.
Jude stepped closer, wary. "What is this?"
Rose opened her eyes and smiled. "A welcoming. A way to prepare for what’s next."
Emma and Sophie ca forward quickly. "What’s next?" Emma asked.
Rose tilted her head. "The joining."
Sophie’s stomach tightened. "Of what?"
"Of us. Of all of us, everyone all together" she said, looking past them. "Including you."
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