The ground was a blur beneath their feet. Screams tore through the night air as the students barreled through the thick grass, branches clawing at arms and faces. The creature’s heavy footsteps thundered behind them, relentless, unyielding. Panic had consumed everyone.

  “Keep running!” Marcus shouted, his voice cracking.

  Somewhere behind them, Lina stumbled on a hidden root. She tumbled to the ground with a thud, her scream cutting through the chaos.

  “Lina!” someone yelled, but it was drowned out by the sound of crashing foliage.

  “She’s too far!” one boy yelled, fear sharpening his voice. “We can’t stop for her—if we do, we’re dead!”

  Another nodded fiercely. “We leave her! Keep going!”

  But Aerinox’s chest tightened. She could not—would not—leave her behind. “I’ll go,” she said, voice barely audible over the pounding of their collective fear.

  “What? Are you stupid?” someone spat, glaring at her. “You’re going back there? She’s gone, she’s dead weight!”

  Aerinox didn’t answer. She didn’t hesitate. She veered off the path and sprinted back toward Lina, who was shaking and scrambling to her feet.

  “Come on, Lina! Grab my hand!” Aerinox shouted.

  With an effort born of sheer terror, Lina latched onto her arm. Together, they started moving, trying to match the speed of the others. The monster was closer now, its glowing eyes cutting through the darkness like knives.

  Suddenly, it paused. Its massive body shuddered. The students behind Aerinox skidded to a halt, stunned.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “What… what’s it doing?” Marcus whispered, wide-eyed.

  A faint, almost imperceptible shadowy haze rippled around Aerinox. She didn’t feel it herself—she was focused only on Lina—but the creature sensed it. Its glowing eyes widened, and with a guttural hiss, it backed away, slowly retreating into the tall grass.

  Lina clung to Aerinox, gasping. “What… what just happened?”

  Aerinox shook her head, still unaware. “I… I don’t know.”

  The group caught up to them moments later, collapsing against one another, panting and trembling. Sweat mixed with blood and dirt on their faces, but for a moment, at least, they were alive. The monster had vanished—or at least, it had stopped chasing them.

  Then reality hit. The panic ebbed, replaced by anger and grief. Jenna’s sobs tore through the tense silence. “This is all your fault, Chloe! If you hadn’t touched that thing in the library, none of this would have happened!”

  Chloe’s hands shook as she wiped at her own tears. “It’s not just me! None of us should have touched anything!”

  “You always do stupid stuff!” Jenna screamed, slapping her shoulder.

  “Enough!” Marcus barked, trying to regain control, but it was useless. The group erupted again into chaos—blame, fear, and raw grief clashing in the dark.

  One boy, his face pale and tight with anger, suddenly stood up. “Wait. Everyone shut up for a second!”

  They froze, staring at him.

  “Didn’t anyone notice?” he continued, his voice low but sharp. “When the creature was chasing us… it stopped. It didn’t just leave because we ran faster. It ran… away from Aerinox.”

  The group blinked. “What?” “What are you talking about?” “Are you insane?”

  Lina, still clinging to Aerinox, whispered, “It… it’s true. When she got close, it cowered. It ran. Away from her.”

  Aerinox stiffened. “Wait… what?”

  Jenna’s tears slowed, replaced by suspicion and rage. She stepped forward, jabbing a finger at Aerinox’s chest. “Wait. Stop. Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t know. Tell me you’re not the reason all of this is happening!”

  “I… I don’t—” Aerinox began, but her words were cut off.

  “You’ve always been like this!” Jenna shouted, slapping her across the face. “Creepy, freaky! Always doing… something! Did you bring us here? Was this one of your games? Did you kill Trevor?!”

  The group surged around them, voices raised, trying to separate the two girls. Confusion, anger, and fear collided in every shout.

  “No! Stop!” Marcus tried to push between them, but even he was trembling.

  “You think you can just play with our lives?” Jenna screamed, pointing at Aerinox. “Look what you’ve done! Trevor is dead! And you’re just standing there!”

  Aerinox’s fists clenched. Her mind raced. She hadn’t understood what had happened with the shadowy energy, hadn’t even realized it was her power that had made the creature hesitate. She had only acted to save Lina. And yet, here she was, accused, blamed, feared.

  Tension hung heavy, suffocating. Arguments flared, shouts bounced off invisible walls.

  Then one of the boys stepped back, his face pale, his voice shaking. “Guys… you need to see this.”

  The group froze, heads snapping toward him.

  “What?” someone whispered.

  “Just… look,” he said, pointing toward the darkness beyond the hollow where they had stopped.

  Everyone squinted into the blackness, hearts pounding.

  And for the first time, they understood just how much danger they had stepped into and how much more terrifying truths were yet to reveal this was just the beginning.