The highway narrowed as they moved, the broken lanes tapering into a service road choked with weeds and abandoned vehicles that had long ago become part of the landscape. Snow Team did not travel in a loose formation anymore. After the horde and the black mist withdrawing like a thinking thing, they tightened instinctively. Voss and Victor alternated point. Sarge held rear. The rest filled the gaps in disciplined silence.
Pope walked close to Tommy.
Not casually.
Deliberately.
Sam kept pace on Tommy's other side. Kai drifted just ahead. Ash lagged half a step behind. The formation looked accidental until one noticed how every time Tommy veered slightly, one of them corrected him without speaking.
Tommy noticed.
"I am not going to defect," he muttered under his breath.
Pope's expression remained serene. "Temptation thrives in unguarded minds."
Tommy stared at him. "I was talking about tripping over debris."
