Devil Gambit

Dirga rested like a man starved of peace. Two full hours. Ten meals. Ten bottles of water.

And he used it all — cycling between sleep and food like a soldier savoring his final reprieve. Thirty minutes of sleep. A heavy meal. More sleep. Another bite. He didn’t waste a second.

But as he sank into his third nap, one thing gnawed at the back of his mind.

There were no mosquitoes.

None.

Not a single sting. No buzzing. No warning flare in his senses. It was too quiet.

He froze mid-bite on his last slab of meat, chewing slowly.

Something’s coming.

Something bad.

He didn’t need to ask Sasa. He already knew.