I had just read Lexi's message.
A little surprised, but not shaken. Not panicked. Calm.
Robert, on the other hand, was tense. His eyes flicked everywhere—window, cabin, Lexi, me—as if danger could appear from any corner.
I looked at him, remembering everything we had survived together—the narrow escapes, the silent agreements, the trust built in moments we never spoke about.
"Come on, Robert," I said softly. "Let's relax. I'll try my best. I know you're good at this. But let's just try to be normal. No worrying about scents. No worrying about what Lexi is doing. Let's just enjoy this."
He shifted slightly, frowning, then sighed.
"I'm a little anxious," I admitted. "I don't really want to go to Cuba, but I have no choice. So let's make the best of it. Without overthinking. Please."
Please, please, please.
He looked at me, searching, still tense. Then he gave a small, tight nod.
"Alright," he said quietly. "We'll do our best."
Lexi pretended to read her magazine, but I could feel her awareness. The cabin was quiet, too quiet.
And then—the plane's screens lit up with the in-flight movie.
A sudden scene blasted through the cabin speakers. Loud. Dark. Shadows moving in tight spaces, eerie sounds, a figure screaming.
I jumped. My stomach lurched.
"What's happening? Robert!" I whispered, heart racing.
He blinked at the screen, dryly amused. "It's the movie. You told me to relax."
I didn't laugh. The sounds rattled my nerves. Shadows seemed almost too real.
Robert chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're taking this too seriously."
I tried to brush it off. But beneath the embarrassment, beneath the tension, beneath the noise—I felt it. Something pressing against the edges of the cabin. Not the movie. Something else. Old. Patient. Waiting.
My instincts kicked in. Not fear. Just… knowing.
I stood abruptly. "I need to make a call."
Robert's eyes narrowed slightly, questioning.
I stepped into the aisle, pulled out my phone, and dialed my manager.
"Oh my gosh," I said, voice tight but steady. "Something has just happened. It's serious. I just lost a family member and I'm sick at the same time. I can't come. I can't go to Cuba. I'm so sorry. Lexi and Nadia can go in my place. They're more than capable. But right now, I just can't."
I didn't let him respond. I ended the call.
My hands weren't shaking. That's how I knew this wasn't panic. This was decision.
When I returned to my seat, Robert was watching me carefully.
"What was that for?" he asked.
I exhaled slowly. "I had to do that. It's just… you're right. Something is wrong. And instead of pretending everything is fine… let's find the problem and solve it."
The plane continued descending, but I no longer felt like we were landing somewhere. It felt like something was rising to meet us.
And then—
CRASH!
The plane shuddered violently, water meeting metal in a wall of force. Screams erupted. I clutched the armrest. Robert grabbed my hand instantly, steadying me.
Lexi emerged behind us, silent but alert, eyes wide.
When the chaos stilled, only three of us were left.
Me. Robert. Lexi.
Every other passenger… gone.
Water lapped cold against the sand at the edge of the jungle. Debris floated, twisted metal groaned weakly. Blood marked some of the wreckage, but I knew it wasn't ours. Not ours.
"Oh my gosh… what just happened?" I muttered, stepping carefully through the shallow waves, mud sucking at my feet. "We… survived? How? Why?"
Robert's jaw tightened. "We need to move. Shelter first. Stay sharp."
I shook my head, letting out a small laugh of disbelief. "We look so unconcerned… and yet we're soaked, half-dead, and the squad probably thinks we're lost forever. Great."
Lexi groaned behind me, brushing wet leaves from her hair and smudging her dress. "Ugh! This jungle… it's destroying my perfect skin, my dress… everything! And the squad? Don't even get me started!"
I couldn't help but smile at her complaint, even as we trudged through roots and mud.
Hours passed. Sun sank low. The jungle pressed in. Leaves, mud, insects, and tangled roots tried their best to slow us down.
I couldn't shake the feeling. "Something's wrong," I whispered, glancing at every shadow, every movement. "I can feel it."
Lexi chuckled, shaking her head. "Says the person who's always right."
I ignored her teasing, eyes scanning. Even calm here required awareness. The jungle seemed alive, almost like it was watching us, waiting to see what we would do.
And then, through the dense foliage, I saw it.
A cave.
Jagged stone framed the entrance, draped with vines that swayed as if breathing. My chest tightened—not fear, exactly—but recognition. Something deep in my bones hummed. Memory, calling me forward.
Robert halted. "Careful," he said softly. "Stay alert."
Lexi's eyes widened. "Do you… see that?"
I nodded. Shadows inside the cave shifted with purpose. Something waited. Ancient. Vast. Patient.
My hunger stirred—not violently, but quietly, insistent. A reminder, a nudge from something I couldn't yet name.
Robert stepped slightly ahead, hand on Lexi's shoulder. "Stay calm. Focus on me. Do not let your mind wander."
Her posture shifted subtly, almost unconsciously. His influence was beginning—gentle, invisible, but effective.
We approached the cave. The air thickened, alive, electric. Every step echoed across the stone.
I felt forms in the shadows, hints of shapes patient and sentient, waiting for us.
I paused at the threshold, every nerve taut.
Robert whispered, "Together. No distractions."
Lexi nodded, glancing at the shifting shapes, mind tethered to him.
And in that moment, I realized it: whatever had been waiting for me… had finally found me.
We stepped inside.