The forest was alive with the sound of their footsteps, the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot breaking the oppressive silence. Caleb shone his flashlight ahead, careful to avoid the twisted roots and jagged rocks that littered the trail.
Evelyn moved ahead of him, her steps light and deliberate. She carried herself with the kind of quiet confidence that made Caleb both irritated and uneasy.
“So,” Caleb said after a while, breaking the silence. “What’s the plan when we get there? We grab the key and hope the Keepers just let us walk away?”
Evelyn didn’t look back. “They won’t.”
“Fantastic,” Caleb muttered.
Evelyn paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder. “Do you ever stop talking?”
“No,” Caleb replied. “Talking keeps me alive. You should try it sometime.”Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Evelyn shook her head and kept walking, leaving Caleb to trail behind her.
The trail twisted sharply, the trees pressing closer together like walls in a maze. Caleb’s flashlight caught faint markings on the trunks—carvings similar to the symbols he’d seen on the keys.
“What do those mean?” Caleb asked, shining his light on one of the markings.
“They’re warnings,” Evelyn said without stopping.
“Warnings for what?”
“People like us,” Evelyn said simply.
Caleb frowned, his grip tightening on his gun. “You’re really great at this whole reassurance thing, you know that?”
Evelyn didn’t respond. Her focus was on the trail ahead, her posture tense.
As they moved deeper into the forest, the air seemed to grow heavier. Caleb couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, though every time he turned to check, the shadows were empty.
“You feel that?” Caleb asked, his voice low.
“Yes,” Evelyn said.
Caleb waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.
“Care to explain?” he pressed.
Evelyn stopped abruptly, holding up a hand. Caleb froze, his flashlight aimed at her back.
“They’re here,” Evelyn said quietly.
Caleb’s pulse quickened, his flashlight darting between the trees. “The Keepers?”
Evelyn nodded, her knife already in her hand. “Stay close.”