A week passed.
The compound had changed more in those seven days than it had in the previous month.
The walls were higher now. Thick wooden plates reinforced with metal scraps formed a rough but solid barrier around the settlement. Two watchtowers stood above the gate, their shadows stretching across the yard as the sun climbed into the sky.
The sound of work never stopped.
Hammers struck wood.
Metal clanged against metal.
Voices called instructions across the yard.
It was messy and loud, but it was progress.
People were beginning to believe the place could last.
Inside the training yard, a group of fighters moved in a loose circle while Uzo stood in the middle watching them with crossed arms.
"Again," he said.
One of the younger fighters rushed forward, swinging a metal pipe like a club.
Uzo didn't even move until the last second.
Then he stepped slightly to the side and slapped the weapon away.
The pipe flew from the fighter's hand and landed in the dirt.
Uzo sighed.
"You're thinking too much," he said.
The fighter rubbed his wrist in embarrassment.
"I thought.."
"Yeah," Uzo cut him off. "That's the problem."
A few people nearby laughed.
Uzo picked up the pipe and tossed it back to him.
"When something tries to kill you, you don't plan ten moves ahead. You move."
He pointed toward the yard.
"Again."
The fighters returned to their positions.
Across the yard, Jide leaned against a wooden post, watching the training quietly.
His eyes drifted toward the far side of the compound where several workers were still digging trenches for new support beams.
They had already found more bones.
Some of them had moved.
Just a little.
A finger twitching.
A rib rolling in the dirt.
Nothing dangerous yet.
But no one liked it.
Jide pushed himself away from the post and walked toward Lina, who stood near the gate looking out across the empty road beyond the walls.
"You've been staring out there for ten minutes," he said.
Lina didn't turn.
"I'm thinking."
"About the bones?"
"About everything."
A light wind moved through the compound, carrying the smell of dust and fresh wood.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Lina sighed.
"Any new reports from the scouts?"
Jide nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
"And?"
He hesitated.
"They found more bodies moving near the old battlefield."
Lina finally turned toward him.
"How many?"
"Hard to tell," Jide admitted. "Dozens at least."
Her expression tightened slightly.
"And they are still heading in the same direction?"
"Yeah."
The tension between them sat quietly in the air.
Uzo's voice suddenly echoed across the yard.
"Alright! Break time before I accidentally kill one of you!"
The fighters laughed and scattered toward the water barrels along the wall.
Uzo walked over to Lina and Jide, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"You two look like someone just told you monsters are real again."
Jide shrugged.
"Scout report."
Uzo groaned.
"Please tell me it's good news."
"Not really."
Uzo leaned against the gate and stared at the sky for a moment.
"You know," he muttered, "I miss the days when the worst thing we fought was those stupid wolf packs."
Lina crossed her arms.
"We'll deal with this too."
Uzo looked at her.
"You sound confident."
"I have to."
He studied her face for a second before nodding slowly.
"Fair enough."
Just then a voice shouted from the watchtower.
"Movement outside the gate!"
All three of them looked up.
The guard pointed toward the road leading to the compound.
Someone was walking toward them.
One person.
No monsters.
No group.
Just a single figure.
Uzo squinted.
"Well that's new."
Jide stepped forward to get a better look.
The figure moved calmly down the empty road, not hiding, not rushing.
Just walking.
The wind lifted strands of long dark hair.
The figure reached the gate a minute later.
She stopped just outside the wooden barrier and looked up at the guards watching her from above.
Her expression was calm.
Almost bored.
"Open it," she said.
Uzo laughed from the other side of the gate.
"That's a bold request."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I'm not here to fight."
"Everyone says that."
Lina stepped forward.
"It's fine," she said.
Uzo looked at her.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
After a short pause, the gate slowly creaked open.
She stepped inside.
The moment she crossed the threshold, her eyes moved around the compound carefully.
Workers.
Fighters.
Training yard.
New walls.
The unfinished guild hall.
She took everything in without saying a word.
Uzo folded his arms.
"Enjoying the tour?"
The woman ignored him.
Her gaze stopped on Lina.
"Where is he?"
Lina became puzzled and asked.
"Who"
"Kael"
Lina stepped forward slowly.
"How do you know him?"
The woman's expression didn't change.
"We fought."
Then she studies Lina for a second and asked calmly
"So where is he?"
Lina didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"Training."
Her expression didn't change.
"For how long?"
"Three weeks."
For the first time, she frowned slightly.
"Three weeks?"
"Yes."
A quiet moment passed between them.
The woman looked around the compound again.
Something about the air felt wrong.
The ground.
The wind.
She crouched suddenly and pressed her fingers lightly against the dirt.
Everyone nearby stared at her.
Uzo scratched his head.
"…What is she doing?"
She closed her eyes for a second.
Then she stood up again slowly.
"Something is waking up," she said.
Jide's voice was calm.
"We noticed."
She looked at him briefly before returning her gaze to Lina.
"You found bones under the ground, didn't you?"
Lina didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
The woman sighed quietly.
"Of course you did."
Uzo frowned.
"Alright, I feel like we're missing part of the conversation here."
The woman turned toward him.
"There is something raising the dead."
The yard became silent.
Uzo blinked.
"…You're joking."
She shook her head.
"No."
Jide spoke carefully.
"Our scouts reported bodies moving near the old battlefield."
She nodded once.
"That's only the beginning."
She pointed toward the ground beneath their feet.
"When the bones start moving underground, it means the one calling them is close."
A cold feeling ran through the group.
Lina's voice stayed steady.
"You sound very certain."
She met her eyes.
"I've seen it before."
That answer didn't make anyone feel better.
A light breeze moved across the compound.
Somewhere near the foundation trench, a worker suddenly shouted.
"Hey—!"
Everyone turned.
One of the uncovered skeletons had shifted again.
The arm slowly dragged across the dirt.
~Click…~
The woman watched it quietly.
Then she spoke in the same calm tone.
"You should finish building your walls quickly."
Her eyes moved toward the horizon beyond the compound.
"Because soon…"
The skeleton's fingers twitched again.
~Click… crack…~
Her voice stayed cold and certain.
"You're going to need them."