Nobody told him to stop. They all knew they couldn't afford to. They had barely made it through the last attack. Whatever blood had been left behind on the trail could already be attracting something else.
So they continued.
Until someone suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
The word was quiet, but everyone heard it.
Nina looked up. The survivor standing ahead of them had turned toward a narrow gap between the trees.
"What is it?" someone asked.
He didn't answer. He simply pointed.
Nina followed the direction of his hand. At first, she saw nothing. Only trees, branches, and the darkening forest.
Then she noticed it.
Something white was glowing beyond the trees.
Her breath caught.
It wasn't the enormous pillar they had seen during the night. This was different. Much smaller. Much farther away. The glow barely illuminated anything around it, almost swallowed by the fading daylight. Yet it was unmistakably there.
Someone whispered, "The light."
Nobody moved.
