Light spread across the compound, touching the wooden walls, the ground, and the people already awake and moving. The place was alive again, but not as it was suppose to be after the attack .
There were more movements now.
Repairs ans construction.
Hammers struck wood again and again. Metal clanged somewhere near the gate. Voices called out short instructions as people carried materials from one side to another.
Near the northern wall, a group of workers focused on one of the watchtowers. The lower support beams had been damaged during the last attack, and now they were replacing them with thicker wood. Ropes creaked as they pulled materials into place.
Two guards stood at the top, checking the signal lantern.
Uzo stood below, arms crossed, watching everything.
He tilted his head slightly, then raised his voice.
"If that thing shakes even once when I climb it, I'm throwing all of you down first."
One of the workers above leaned over, wiping sweat from his face.
"You don't climb anything. You just shout from below."
A few people nearby chuckled.
Uzo pointed up at him.
"Say that again when you're on the ground."
The worker shook his head and went back to work.
Not far from there, the main gate opened with a heavy creak.
Several fighters stepped inside, dragging the body of a large creature behind them. Its limbs scraped against the ground, leaving faint marks in the dirt. One of them adjusted his grip and let out a tired breath.
"Take it to the side," another said.
They pulled it toward the processing area. Two men were already waiting there, sharpening their knives. The sound of metal scraping against stone added to the noise in the compound.
Zara dropped down beside them, landing lightly.
She glanced at the body once, then turned toward Uzo.
"Scouts?"
Uzo didn't look at her immediately. His eyes were still on the wall, then slowly shifted toward the distance outside.
"They're late."
Zara followed his line of sight.
The land beyond the wall looked the same as always.
But things about it didn't feel right when nothing happened.
Before she could say anything else, the gate opened again.
The compound became quiet, no one was talking.
Three scouts walked in.
Their steps were steady, but their faces told a different story. Dust covered their armor, and one of them had a small tear along his sleeve.
Jide moved toward them without wasting time.
"What did you find?"
The first scout took off his helmet slowly. His hand paused for a moment before lowering it completely.
"There was a graveyard," he said.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was heard.
"West. About two kilometers from the base."
Jide nodded once.
"And?"
The scout's jaw tightened.
"We decided to checked it."
He paused, then continued.
"And we discovered that all the graves were open."
The hammering nearby didn't stop completely, but it slowed.
The survivors were now listening .
Not openly.
But they were hearing.
Uzo let out a quiet breath through his nose.
"That's already bad."
The second scout stepped forward.
"Sir we didn't stop there."
Lina turned toward him, her expression serious.
"What else?"
He looked at her, then at Jide.
"We went to the old battlefield near the river,there we saw movement," he continued.
"What kind?" Zara asked.
The scout swallowed once.
"Bones."
That word settled heavily in the air.
"They were coming out of the ground," he added. "Slow at first. Then more similar to the ones that attacked."
The wind passed through the compound, lifting a bit of dust along the ground.
Uzo shifted his stance slightly.
"Are they moving towards us… or moving north like something controlling them?
The scout shook his head.
"They were not moving"
That answer didn't make anyone feel better.
The third scout, who had been quiet, stepped forward.
"There's more."
Jide looked directly at him.
"Just say it."
The scout turned and pointed toward the distant hills.
"We saw something there."
Uzo followed the direction with his eyes.
"What?"
The scout took a breath.
"Is was a tower"
He hesitated.
"It didn't look like anything we've seen before," the scout added. "At first I thought it was just some kind of ruin… but when we got closer, I realized it wasn't stone at all."
That caught everyone's attention.
Lina stepped closer.
"Then what was it made of?"
The scout's voice dropped slightly.
"The whole thing was made from bones. Stacked, shaped… like someone actually built it that way."
Uzo frowned and stepped closer.
"Wait… who exactly would building something like that?" he asked, his voice no longer casual.
The scout looked at him and said
"We also saw them moving around it."
"Who"Lina asked.
The answer came without delay this time.
"Skeletons."
The word settled deeper than before
Uzo let out a short breath and looked away for a moment, then back again.
"…That's new."
Jide stayed quiet for a few seconds.
He looked around the compound.
People were watching now. Fully. Waiting to hear what came next.
If he showed doubt, it would spread.
So he didn't.
"We stay calm," he said.
He looked around at everyone before speaking.
"Listen carefully," he said, his voice calm but firm. "No one starts panicking. We don't even know the full situation yet, so we stay steady and think before we act."
He looked back at the scouts.
"How many skeleton did you see?"
"They were too many to count," he said. "Every time we tried to focus on one group, more kept showing up from different directions."
Jide nodded slowly.
Then he turned.
"Uzo."
Uzo straightened slightly.
"Reinforce the walls. I want more eyes up there at all times."
Uzo didn't argue.
"Already on it."
"Zara," Jide continued, "increase patrols. No one goes out alone anymore."
Zara gave a short nod.
"I'll handle it."
"Lina," he said, "start checking supplies again. Food, weapons, everything."
She took a breath and nodded.
"Okay."
The orders spread quickly.
People moved again.
But this time, the energy had changed.
The sounds returned.
Hammers. Voices. Movement.
But underneath all of it, there was something else.
Unease.
Uzo started climbing the watchtower, gripping the wooden supports as he moved up. Halfway, he stopped and looked out again toward the north.
He stayed there for a moment.
Quiet.
"…A tower made of bones," he muttered.
He didn't like the sound of that.
Not even a little.
And far beyond the walls
Past the hills.
Past the empty land
Something was growing.