Sophie joined them monts later, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, her expression confused but alert. "You’re talking about the thing last night, right?" Her voice dropped. "I saw it too. Just... standing there."
Jude took her hand, and Rose took his, the three of them bound in quiet confirmation. A mory shared without needing to be spoken aloud.
Zoey stirred next, her laughter noticeably absent this morning. She rubbed her arms as if chilled, and Scarlet stood close, concern in her eyes. Lucy approached Jude shortly after, her blade sheathed but her expression grim.
"You saw it," she said, not asking but stating.
"Yes."
Lucy glanced around the clearing. "Sothing has changed."
Natalie and Stella appeared next, hands entwined, still dreamy-eyed but clearly sensing the tension. Susan and Grace arrived with matching expressions of quiet unease. Emma was last, stepping from the trees as if she had never truly slept, her gaze heavy with silent confirmation.
They gathered by the water, the whole group now. No one was speaking of it directly, but the air between them pulsed with unspoken questions.
Jude cleared his throat. "Let’s head upstream. Keep moving."
No one objected. They packed quickly, the usual murmurs of laughter or flirtation conspicuously absent. As they began walking, the spiral’s hum returned - but it was different now. Less a song, more a warning. A low, persistent pressure that tugged at the base of Jude’s spine and vibrated through his teeth.
The path ahead had shifted again - what had been a gentle slope yesterday now climbed steep and narrow through twisted roots and jagged stone. The trees leaned in more closely. Shadows clung to the corners of their vision.
Halfway up the trail, Scarlet stumbled and gasped.
"What is it?" Zoey asked quickly, catching her.
"I - I thought I saw soone behind that tree." Scarlet pointed, but there was nothing. Just branches, moss, silence.
No one said it, but the entire group picked up pace.
By midday, they ca upon a ridge overlooking a deep ravine where a waterfall plumted into mist. The sound should have been cleansing, refreshing - but instead, it echoed in their chests, rattling around the spiral’s song like bones in a drum.
They stopped for rest, but few sat. Sophie pressed close to Jude, her hands on his chest, her eyes searching his. "Do you think it’s following us?"
Rose stood at the edge, wind tugging her hair, her dress, her smile dangerously calm. "It doesn’t need to follow," she said. "It’s already inside the spiral."
"What does that an?" Lucy snapped, stepping closer. "Rose, don’t play gas right now."
Rose turned slowly, her eyes sharp now, clear and cold. "We woke sothing."
"From the river?" Natalie asked, her voice trembling.
Rose didn’t answer. She walked away from the cliff and sat alone beneath a tree, humming softly to herself, fingers tracing patterns in the dirt.
No one followed her.
That night, they made camp far from the water, on high ground surrounded by jagged rock and moss. The fire flickered low, the air still, the spiral’s hum now like a distant drumbeat - steady, watching.
Zoey lay beside Scarlet but didn’t sleep. Jude caught her glancing at Rose when she thought no one would notice.
"I think she’s changing," Zoey whispered to him when they crossed paths near the fire.
Jude didn’t deny it. "I know."
"Since the river," she added. "And it’s spreading."
He looked at her sharply. "Spreading?"
Zoey nodded slowly. "To Layla. To others. It’s subtle, but... their smiles."
Jude didn’t answer. He rembered those smiles. Perfect. Unblinking. Like masks stretched over sothing ancient and hungry.
In the morning, Rose was already up, arms outstretched, letting the sun hit her bare skin. Layla stood beside her now. Too close.
When Rose turned to the others, her eyes glinted. Her smile widened.
And then Layla smiled exactly the sa way.
The mont Layla’s lips curled into that smile - too wide, too perfect, too eerily calm - sothing in Jude’s chest turned cold. It was subtle, not a performance or imitation, but an echo. As though the sa thought had passed through both won at once and carved itself into their faces. Their hands were brushing. Their hips nearly touching. They stood like mirrored statues basking in a sunrise no one else could feel.
Jude glanced at Zoey, who was already staring, her jaw tight, her arms folded like she was bracing against a wave. She t his eyes and gave the slightest nod, confirmation shared in silence. They had both seen it now - truly seen it.
Emma, silent as ever, was behind them by the edge of the tree line, but Jude could feel her gaze burning through the morning mist. Always watching. Always ready. And sohow, that gave him the courage to step forward.
"Layla," he said casually, forcing calm into his voice, "You’re up early."
She turned to him slowly, as if his voice was dragging her from sowhere far away. Her smile remained. "Couldn’t sleep. I’ve been dreaming of the water again."
"Dreams?" he asked.
"The river. The hum in the stones." Her voice was softer now, almost singsong. "It called to ."
Rose laughed lightly, stepping between them. "It calls to all of us, doesn’t it?"
Sophie appeared beside Jude then, her presence a grounding tether. Her fingers brushed against his. She wasn’t smiling.
Behind them, the others had begun to stir. Stella and Natalie erged from their shared nest of blankets, eyes still heavy with sleep. Scarlet and Susan talked softly as they cleaned their packs. Grace approached with Lucy, both quiet, both cautious. The air felt thick, like the mont before a thunderstorm, tension crackling in every breath.
Rose stepped toward the fire, stretching like a cat, bare feet pressing into moss and ash. "It’s a beautiful morning," she said. "We should go back to the waterfall today."
"We just ca from there," Jude replied, trying not to sound too pointed.
"But we didn’t look closely." Her gaze flicked toward Layla, and Jude caught the faintest glimr of sothing in her eyes. Agreent? Command?
Reviews
All reviews (0)