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Elisha's POV
The morning air was cold enough to bite, and the road stretched endlessly ahead — a thin gray scar across the misty plain. The sun hadn't even bothered to wake yet, and somehow Nathan decided this was the perfect time to start walking.
I swear it wasn't even seven. My body still screamed for sleep, my leg was throbbing like a broken drum, and my head was full of thoughts like why the hell am I doing this again?
Paige and Darcelle were walking side by side, whispering about something that made Paige laugh softly. It wasn't that I cared — but for some reason, the sound of their quiet chatter grated against my half-dead brain. Maybe I was jealous of their energy. Or maybe I just hated that my limp made me look like the slowest member of the group.
Xavier walked beside me, occasionally patting his own cheek to stay awake. He looked like a starving kitten trying to stay conscious. "You good?" I asked lazily.
He nodded, yawned, then muttered, "If I say no, will Nathan let us rest?"
I gave a dry laugh. "You'd have better luck convincing the gods to stop existing."
He pouted. "You're mean, Eli."
"And you're clingy," I replied, limping faster just to escape his sunshine personality.
The sun finally dragged itself over the horizon, its orange glow spilling across the grasslands. Paige stopped to look at it, her eyes wide with that almost childlike wonder.
"The sun's really beautiful," she said softly.
Darcelle nodded beside her. "This town's blessed. The air feels different — lighter somehow."
Nathan, as usual, stood like a statue, arms crossed. "Yeah… it is."
Was that a compliment or a question? Even the sun looked confused.
Xavier just stared, mesmerized, his golden hair catching the light. I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they'd fall out. "Are you all seriously admiring the weather? It's the sun. It burns things. Including us. Keep staring and we'll melt before noon."
They all turned to look at me.
Xavier's mouth dropped open. Darcelle snorted. Paige hid a laugh.
"Hey, Xavier," Darcelle said. "You might wanna close your mouth before you start drooling."
"Wha—? I wasn't— I mean— huh?!" Xavier turned red. Paige and I both burst out laughing.
Nathan just sighed. "You're all idiots."
"Excuse me?" I pointed at him. "What did you call us, you blind, ugly grandpa?"
He turned, expression cold as stone. "Say that again?"
"You heard me!"
He rolled his eyes, muttering, "We're not stopping today. If anyone's to blame, it's the leaping idiot behind us."
I gasped. "You pompous scumbag!"
Paige groaned dramatically. "Here we go again…"
Darcelle muttered under her breath, "Wonderful. My legs are going to die, and I'll have to crawl the rest of the way."
Xavier just whispered to me, "Not nice, bro."
I bonked him on the head lightly. "Neither is your face."
He rubbed his head, pouting like a five-year-old.
The road wound onward, the grass brushing against our boots, the mountains looming faintly in the distance. For a while, the rhythm of walking dulled my thoughts — until the familiar pain started stabbing again in my ribs and thigh.
The wound Nathan so graciously reopened last night was throbbing. Each step felt like a dare. I told myself to endure it, to shut up and keep moving. If we could just reach the motel by nightfall, maybe I could finally sleep on something softer than dirt.
Not that I had a bedroll like the others. Nope. Poor, miserable, lazy me had forgotten to buy one. My life really was a comedy written by the gods — and the punchline was always me.
I sighed aloud, muttering to myself, "At least if I die, I'll haunt Nathan's nightmares."
"Did you say something?" Xavier asked.
"Yeah," I said. "That I regret everything."
He frowned. "Even me?"
"Especially you."
Before he could sulk, the wind changed. The sunlight dimmed.
"Hey," I called out, "look at the clouds."
Dark gray gathered across the sky like bruises, swallowing the morning gold.
Paige tilted her head. "The sun's gone."
Darcelle squinted. "Hey, where'd it go?"
I blinked. "Is… that a serious question?"
Xavier piped up, "You didn't call my name, Eli."
I stared at him. "You're standing beside me, idiot. Do you want me to summon you with a trumpet too?"
"Oh. Right." He nodded thoughtfully.
I sighed and looked away. "You're unbelievable."
Nathan stopped walking, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "Don't you think we should find shelter before the rain hits?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh sure, let's just magically summon a cave out of the dirt. Brilliant idea, oh wise cockroach."
He glared at me. "I knew that."
"Of course you did, sir."
Before we could start round two of our verbal duel, Xavier suddenly lit up. "Wait! Umbrella trees! They have big leaves! Umbrellas protect from rain, so umbrella trees should too!"
We all stared at him.
Darcelle sighed. "That only works when it's not pouring. Look at the sky — it's going to flood."
Paige huffed. "Then we run."
"Run?" I repeated flatly. "I have an injured leg."
"You'll manage," Paige said sweetly.
I blinked. "Wow. Compassion at its finest."
Nathan looked at me briefly — that unreadable flicker in his eyes again — then looked away.
And then the heavens decided to ruin us.
The first droplets came soft, then harder, until the sky split open. The rain came in sheets, pelting us like thrown stones. The wind howled, whipping our cloaks.
"Move!" Nathan shouted over the storm.
We ran — or in my case, hobbled dramatically — through the mud and tall grass, slipping, cursing, and laughing all at once.
"My hair!" Darcelle cried. "It's soaked!"
Paige yelled back, "That's your problem right now?!"
"Of course it is!"
Even through the chaos, I found myself grinning. We were all drenched, miserable, and loud — and somehow it felt alive.
Finally, we spotted a cluster of umbrella trees ahead. Nathan led us beneath the largest one, its wide canopy offering at least partial shelter. We collapsed beneath it, breathing hard.
The air was thick with the smell of wet soil and something else — something faintly metallic. The rain roared around us, but under the tree, it felt oddly quiet. Too quiet.
The others noticed it too. Paige stopped giggling. Darcelle straightened. Xavier's cheerful face dimmed.
Nathan's hand went to his blade. "Stay close," he said, voice low.
The wind shifted again. Mist began curling through the trees, slow and silvery, coiling around our feet. The temperature dropped sharply.
I frowned. "Fog? In the middle of rain?"
Xavier whispered, "That's… not normal, right?"
"No, it's not," Darcelle murmured, scanning the shadows.
The fog thickened fast — unnaturally fast — swallowing shapes, blurring outlines, wrapping us in cold white nothingness.
"Stay together!" Nathan barked.
We moved back-to-back instinctively, weapons half-drawn, breath visible in the chill.
And then—
A sound split the air.
A low, guttural growl. Not from any animal I'd ever heard. Deep, echoing, vibrating through the ground beneath us.
Paige's voice trembled. "Please tell me that was your stomach, Xavier."
He whispered, "I wish."
The growl came again, louder — closer. The fog rippled like something huge was moving through it.
Nathan unsheathed his blade with a soft hiss of steel. "Eyes sharp."
My grip tightened around my spear. Despite the pounding rain, the air felt bone-dry inside my lungs.
Whatever was out there wasn't human.
And this time, I had the sickening feeling our suicidal journey had just turned into something worse.
Something watching us from the mist.
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