Snow crunched under their boots, the only sound in the dead, silent forest. The moon hung low and swollen, its pale light filtering through the skeletal branches.
Kyle's breath was ragged, though he tried to hide it. Every few steps, a dull ache pulsed in his chest—like something had taken root deep inside and was slowly tightening. He kept his pace fast enough to avoid Felix or Gia noticing the slight limp in his stride.
Gia walked beside him, her hand brushing his once in a while, as if to silently remind him she was still there. Felix trailed a few paces behind, eyes sweeping the treeline.
They had been running for hours since the cabin fight, and still Kyle couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
Signs of Weakness
"You're slowing down," Felix said from behind, his voice flat but not entirely without concern.
Kyle didn't look back. "I'm still ahead of you, so maybe you should pick it up."
Felix huffed. "Joking means you're hiding something."
Gia glanced at Kyle, studying him. Her gaze was sharp—too sharp for him to dodge.
He finally muttered, "That thing… it touched me. Felt like it was pulling something out of me. Since then…" He clenched his fist, forming a short dagger from his blood. The blade shimmered for a second before flickering, destabilizing like smoke. "…my control's been off."
Gia's lips pressed into a thin line. "It's not just draining your power—it's corrupting it."
Felix swore under his breath. "Which means if it gets close again, you might not be able to fight it at full strength."
"Which means," Kyle said, "we just make sure it doesn't get close again."
But his tone didn't match the words.
The Shelter
They reached a shallow gorge where a fallen tree bridged the gap. Below, a half-collapsed hunting shack leaned against the slope. The roof was patched with sheet metal, and a single smoke pipe jutted out of it.
Felix moved ahead, checking the inside. "Clear enough. No bodies. No creepy ice."
Kyle ducked inside with Gia following. It was cramped but warmer than the outside, with a small pot-bellied stove in one corner.
They lit a fire, and the flicker of warmth was almost enough to make them forget the thing hunting them. Almost.
Tensions in the Room
Felix sat on an overturned crate, idly spinning a knife between his fingers. He kept glancing at Gia—subtle enough that Kyle might have missed it if he wasn't already on edge.
Gia sat close to Kyle, her knees drawn up, portal sparks flickering faintly around her fingertips as she warmed her hands by the fire.
Kyle's eyes narrowed at Felix. "You got a staring problem?"
Felix's lips twitched into a smirk. "Just making sure she's not about to collapse. Can't have our portal-maker passing out."
"Nice cover," Kyle muttered, leaning back against the wall.
Gia shot them both a look. "Really? We're being hunted by a supernatural nightmare, and you two want to have an ego contest?"
Kyle didn't answer, but the tension didn't leave his posture.
The Omen
The fire popped, sending a spark into the air. Outside, the wind howled—and then, faintly, the sound of something cracking.
Not wood. Not ice. Something heavier.
Gia froze. "It's close again."
Felix was already on his feet. "How the hell did it track us this fast?"
Kyle's blood blade formed again, sharper this time despite the strain. "Because it's not just tracking us. It's tracking me."
He could feel it now—the same pull in his chest, faint but constant, like an invisible hook was dragging him toward the thing.
Gia's voice was firm. "Then we move before it gets here."
Felix nodded. "And this time, we hit it first."
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