The creatures still trailed Angelo's presence like moths to a dying flame—but five of the Duskbornes had been ordered ahead, slipping through shadows to observe him. Meanwhile, the Hollowed Saints followed the path of the evacuees. Their numbers were too few, their steps too careful for Angelo to notice.
As dusk settled in, Nomad rolled to a stop in front of a rusting steel factory. The building loomed, hollow and skeletal, its windows shattered and ivy clawing up its walls.
Hale shut off the engine. "We'll camp here tonight."
Ryan eyed the factory with suspicion. "Looks abandoned. What if there are ghosts inside?"
Angelo smirked. "What, are you scared of ghosts?"
Ryan didn't blink. "Yes."
Angelo paused, thrown off. "You seriously don't lie, do you?"
Hale sighed and cut through the banter. "Enough. Inside—now. It's safer than sleeping out in the open."
The factory groaned as they stepped in, floor echoing beneath their boots. Dust swirled in fading light. Machines stood frozen in time, choked with rust and silence. The place hadn't been touched in years—four or five, at least.
While Hale and Ryan swept the main area, Angelo slipped away. The quiet hallways drew him in, curiosity flaring. After checking a few doors, he found what looked like an old shower room—still intact, surprisingly.
He grinned. Perfect.
"Hey! Over here!" he shouted.
Minutes later, Hale and Ryan arrived—but the room was empty.
Ryan stepped in cautiously, sweeping his flashlight across the tiles. "Angelo?"
Nothing.
As he rounded a corner, a beam of light flared—Angelo's face lit from below, eyes wide, dressed in black from head to toe.
Ryan screamed like his soul left his body and bolted.
Hale blinked as he passed her. "What the hell?"
"Ghost!" Ryan yelled over his shoulder.
Hale entered the room, only to find Angelo crouched behind the door, suppressing laughter. He leapt up to spook her—
—and got a fist straight to the gut.
"Oof—FUCK—!" Angelo folded over, clutching his stomach.
"I told you to quit messing around," Hale snapped. "Now go make dinner."
Still wheezing, Angelo nodded. "Y-yeah… right…"
He limped off toward Nomad, muttering curses under his breath.
As Angelo limped back toward Nomad, still rubbing his gut, he spotted Ryan standing outside the vehicle, arms crossed and face unreadable.
Angelo grinned. "You should've seen your face back there."
Ryan replied calmly, "You should see yours now."
Angelo blinked. No comeback. He just groaned and trudged into the vehicle to start on dinner.
Back inside the factory, Ryan approached Hale, who was checking their gear.
"Does the shower work?" he asked.
Hale glanced toward the tiled hallway. "Doubt it. Doesn't look like it's worked in years."
Ryan gave a disappointed nod. "Would've been great if it did."
"Yeah," she said. "Come on. Let's eat."
They gathered near the back of Nomad, using one of the crates as a makeshift table. The meal was warm and simple—exactly what they needed after the long day.
Once the last bite was taken, Hale looked at Angelo. "You've got first watch."
Angelo's head snapped up. "What? But I'm tired."
Hale shot him a look. "That's your punishment for screwing around."
Angelo slouched in his seat. "Fine…"
Ryan and Hale turned in, finding quiet corners to sleep while Angelo took position near the entrance, rifle propped beside him. The hours passed uneventfully, the factory creaking softly in the wind, moonlight slanting in through cracked windows.
At midnight, Ryan took over. Angelo passed him the rifle wordlessly and collapsed into his sleeping bag.
An hour later, Ryan was pacing the perimeter when something outside caught his eye. A faint shape—humanoid—walking toward the factory from the tree line.
He froze.
The figure moved unnaturally, limbs almost dragging… but as the moonlight broke through the clouds, it vanished.
Ryan's heart kicked up. He ran to the others and shook them awake.
"We've got company," he whispered urgently.
Within moments, everyone was up and armed. They spread out, checking the factory interior and scanning outside—but found nothing.
"You sure you saw something?" Angelo asked.
Ryan nodded. "Yeah. It was walking straight toward us. Looked human… but something was off. When the moonlight hit it, it just… vanished."
Before anyone could reply, a sharp hiss cut through the silence.
Hale's instincts kicked in—she dropped low just as something lunged from the shadows. A pale, gangly figure flew overhead, missing by inches, and landed with a snarl.
"Well, look at that," it rasped, voice slick with malice. "You moved. No matter. I'll get you this time."
Angelo spun, raised his sidearm, and fired. The shot cracked loud—but the creature dissolved into shadow mid-air, the bullet slicing through empty space.