Chapter 67: The World Full of Shadows
The world had grown silent again after the storm, a silence that clawed at Zara’s nerves. Every step along the highway felt heavier, the tension in the air thick enough to taste.
Winter moved ahead of Zara and Leo, his rifle slung low but ready. His eyes swept their surroundings, restless and sharp. Every so often, his jaw would tighten, a signal that something—a sound, a shadow, a memory—had set his instincts on edge.
Zara trailed just behind, her hand resting protectively on Leo’s shoulder. The boy clutched the strap of her backpack, his small fingers white-knuckled.
"Stay close," Winter said over his shoulder, his voice a gravelly murmur.
They passed the first abandoned car, then another, and another—an endless graveyard of vehicles rusting under a greying sky.
Winter came to an abrupt halt, raising a fist. Zara froze, instinctively pulling Leo closer. Ahead, an overturned SUV blocked most of the lane, its tyres shredded and its doors flung open like a gutted animal. A smear of fresh blood trailed across the ground, leading to the edge of the highway and disappearing into the woods.
"What happened here?" she asked softly.
Winter stopped, his eyes scanning the road ahead. His jaw tightened. "Ambush or panic. Maybe both."
He crouched near a dark smear on the pavement, running his fingers over deep gouges etched into the concrete. The claw marks were jagged and uneven as if something monstrous had raked its talons across the ground.
"These aren’t from the usual dead," he muttered, more to himself than to Zara.
Zara tightened her grip on Leo’s hand. "What do you mean?"