Adrian didn't leave the clearing right away.
The silence had settled again, but it wasn't the same as before. It felt thinner now. Like something had passed through it and left it… stretched.
He glanced once more toward the trees where the figure had disappeared. Nothing. Still—that didn't mean anything.
In this place, "nothing" was usually a lie.
He exhaled slowly and looked back at the camp. Broken gear. Torn fabric. Blood that had already started to dry into the dirt.
Not old. Not fresh either.
"Someone made it out."
The words came out quiet. He didn't feel relief saying it. Just a cold, analytical recognition.
He started moving. Not toward the center, but toward the edge—where the ground looked more disturbed.
It didn't take long to find it. Marks. Dragged, uneven, cutting through the dirt and broken leaves. Something heavy had been pulled. There were footprints too, but they overlapped too much to tell how many.
Adrian crouched, ignoring the pull in his shoulder. The blood trail continued into the forest.
He stared at it for a second longer than necessary. Then, he followed.
The deeper he went, the quieter it got. No wind. No insects. Just the sound of his own steps—and even that felt muted, like the forest was swallowing the noise before it could echo.
After a few minutes, the trail became harder to follow. Less blood. More broken branches.
Then—a sound.
Not loud. Not close. A faint shift, like someone trying not to be heard.
Adrian stopped. Even the forest seemed to pause.
"…I know you're there."
He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe because the silence felt too intentional. Maybe because he was tired of pretending he was alone.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a figure stepped out from behind a fallen tree.
Young. Maybe his age. Her clothes were shredded, dirty, and one sleeve was dark with dried blood. Her eyes locked onto him immediately.
Sharp. Alert. Terrified.
Adrian didn't move. Neither did she. They stood there, measuring each other in the dark.
"You're… alive," she said. Her voice was low, brittle.
Adrian tilted his head slightly. "Seems like it."
It sounded flat. Even to him, his voice felt like it belonged to a recording.
The girl's brows pulled together. That wasn't the response she expected. Not here. Not after what had happened.
"…Did you come from the camp?" she asked.
He nodded once.
"What happened there?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her eyes flicked past him—checking the shadows—then back.
"…They came out of nowhere," she whispered. "We didn't even hear them. They don't move right. They don't... make sense."
Adrian said nothing. He didn't need her to tell him that.
"There were four of us," she continued, her voice trembling. "Now it's just me. I think."
Silence fell again. But this time, it was heavier. She studied him more carefully now. Her gaze dropped to his shoulder. To the blood.
"…You're hurt."
Adrian glanced down at the wound as if he had forgotten it existed.
"Oh. Right." He pressed his hand against it. The pain was there, but it felt like a distant rumor. "It's fine."
That answer made her frown. It didn't feel real. No one with a wound like that should be standing that still.
"…You don't look fine," she said, taking a half-step back.
Something about the way he stood—too steady, too calm—was starting to scare her more than the forest.
"…What are you?" she asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it.
Adrian blinked. The question was simple, yet he had to search for the answer.
"…Human."
It came out automatically. Too quickly. Like a lie practiced a thousand times.
She didn't look convinced.
A sound cut through the air. Sharp. Close.
Both of them turned. The forest wasn't empty anymore.
Something moved between the trees. Then another. And another. Adrian felt it before he saw them. That same pressure. Cold. Pulling.
The girl's breath caught in a sob. "…No—no, they followed me—"
The first creature stepped into view. Then the second. They were closing in, a circle of slick muscle and wide, wet eyes.
"Run," the girl hissed, backing away.
Adrian didn't run. He didn't even flinch.
Something inside him shifted. Not fear. Not panic.
Recognition.
The creatures slowed. Their aggressive, twitching edge smoothed out. Something in the air had changed.
The girl noticed. Her eyes darted between the monsters and the man standing in front of them.
"…Wait. Why are they…?"
One of the creatures took a step forward. Then it stopped. Its head tilted at that impossible angle.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
The lines were there again. Pale, flickering cracks in the reality surrounding the monsters. They weren't just lines anymore; they were leashes.
"…I don't know," Adrian said.
But for the first time, that was a lie.
The girl stared at him, her grip tightening on a broken branch.
"…They're not attacking you."
She sounded breathless.
"…They're… hesitating."
Adrian didn't answer. He was watching the way the lines bent toward him. The way they seemed to want his touch.
Something inside him shifted again. Deeper. Colder.
Hungry.
The creatures took a step back. Not in fear of a weapon, but in fear of a superior predator.
The girl's expression twisted into something between awe and pure horror.
"…They're afraid of you."
Silence. Still and suffocating.
Adrian stood his ground. The faint white glow beneath his skin flickered once, then settled into a steady, ghostly pulse.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"…I think they are."