Chapter 1165
The sun rose on a silent, shaken camp. And they knew: the battle was only just beginning.
The morning light crept over the island, soft and pale, doing little to warm the chill that clung to Jude’s skin. The air felt heavier now, as if the island itself shared in the weight of their dread. The shelter was quiet except for the sound of shallow breathing, the rustle of fabric as Sophie shifted closer to him, and the distant crash of waves against the rocks. But beneath those sounds was something else, something that couldn’t be heard, only felt. A presence. A pull. , Her.,
Jude ran a hand through his hair, fingers shaking despite his effort to stay steady. He hadn’t slept. None of them truly had. Every time his eyes drifted closed, he saw her, Rose, standing at the edge of the trees, that soft, terrible smile on her lips, that light flickering beneath her skin like a heartbeat that wasn’t hers anymore. And he heard her voice, sweet and low, promising what he feared, what he longed for, all at once.
Sophie’s hand found his, her fingers lacing through his, her touch the only thing that kept him anchored to the moment. She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. The warmth of her body beside his was enough. It reminded him of who he was, of who they were, of what they were fighting for.
As the sun climbed higher, the others began to stir. Lucy was the first to rise, stretching the stiffness from her limbs, her eyes sharp and watchful. Stella followed, brushing leaves from her hair, glancing toward the forest as if expecting Rose to emerge at any moment. Zoey, Susan, Grace, Natalie, Scarlet, and Emma gathered close, their faces pale but determined.
"We can’t keep waiting for her to come to us," Lucy said quietly. "She’ll pick us apart like this. We have to find a way to end it."
"But how?" Scarlet asked, voice tight with fear she tried to hide. "How do you fight something that isn’t her anymore?"
Jude stood, his body aching with exhaustion, but his mind clearer than it had been in days. "We go back to where it started," he said. "The place where she fell. The river. If we’re going to find answers, it’s there."
No one argued. They gathered what little they needed, blades, rope, charms carved from bone and stone, and set out, moving as one. The forest felt different as they passed through it, the trees closer, the shadows deeper, the air thick with the scent of moss and salt. Every sound made them flinch, every snapped twig, every whisper of wind through the leaves. But they didn’t stop. They couldn’t.