My eyes snapped open.
No hesitation. No groggy confusion. No slow drift back into awareness.
Just... awake.
Completely, sharply, instantly awake.
My heart was already racing, pounding against my ribs like a war drum before my mind could even catch up and supply a reason. Adrenaline flooded my system in a cold rush, sharpening every sense to a razor's edge.
The fire had burned down to almost nothing... a pitiful collection of soft orange embers glowing weakly in the center of the clearing. They cast long, flickering shadows that danced across the ground like living things, barely holding the suffocating darkness at bay. The clearing itself felt… different now. Heavier. More oppressive.
Too quiet.
Unnaturally quiet.
The usual night sounds of the forest, distant rustles, insect hums, the whisper of leaves, had vanished entirely, leaving only a thick, expectant silence that pressed against my ears.
Everyone else was still asleep.
