Day 13: Questions in the Dark
The fire crackled softly in the crumbled office building, casting flickering shadows across the walls. The tension that had followed them since the encounter with the serpent hadn't faded—it was as if the giant creature's presence still lingered in their minds, even though they hadn't fought it. It had passed through the city, monstrous and indifferent, leaving behind an uneasy silence in its wake. Eli couldn't shake the image of its pale white skin, its enormous, gaping mouth filled with far too many teeth, and those dead, sharp eyes that seemed to look through him.
Cass sat near the entrance, as vigilant as ever, her knife resting in her hand. Even though the serpent hadn't noticed them, the encounter had rattled all of them, but Cass… she seemed to bear the weight of it differently. Her tension had deepened. She was more guarded, more distant. Eli wondered if the presence of that creature had triggered something inside her, something she hadn't let show before.
Eli leaned against the cold stone wall, his muscles aching from the long, cautious trek that had followed. They had avoided conflict, other than a brief encounter with a pair of Wraithkin earlier in the day, but the real danger had felt like it was waiting for them, just beyond the edge of their vision.
Luke sat nearby, absently sharpening his machete. His face was tense, his eyes flicking toward Cass every so often, as if he, too, had been thinking about her ever since the serpent had slithered through the ruins.
"You've been quiet," Luke muttered, his voice low. "That thing… It shook us all up. You think it's still out there?"
Eli glanced toward Cass, who remained silent, her eyes fixed on the darkness outside the broken windows. She hadn't said much since the serpent had passed, but she didn't need to—her body language spoke volumes. She was tense, coiled like a spring, ready to react to danger at any second.
Eli shifted uncomfortably, the questions that had been gnawing at him for days now pushing to the surface. He had trusted Cass with his life more times than he could count, but there was something about her, something she wasn't telling them. The way she always knew how to react, how to survive, how to fight—it wasn't just experience. It was something deeper.
Finally, Eli couldn't hold it in anymore. "Cass," he said, his voice cutting through the quiet.
She didn't respond immediately. She didn't even look at him, her eyes still locked on the shadows beyond the walls.
"Cass," Eli repeated, louder this time.
She turned her head slightly, just enough to acknowledge him. "What?"
Eli took a breath, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. He didn't want to sound like he was accusing her of something, but he needed to know. "How are you so… experienced? You fight like you've done this a hundred times. You always know what's coming. And today, with that thing… It didn't rattle you like it did the rest of us."
Luke looked up from his machete, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Yeah," he added. "We barely survived that thing crossing the city. You just… knew to stay still, like it wasn't anything new."
Cass's expression didn't change, but Eli saw something flicker in her eyes—something dark and haunted. For a moment, she said nothing, her gaze shifting back to the empty streets beyond the window. Eli thought she might shut him out, as she had done so many times before, but this time, after a long pause, she spoke.
"I've survived," she said quietly. "That's all it is."
Luke raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Eli. "Come on, Cass. We've all survived. But the way you handle everything… it's like you already know what's going to happen. Like you've seen it all before."
Cass's grip on her knife tightened. Her jaw clenched. "What do you think it is, then?" she asked, her voice cold and hard. "You think I'm different from you?"
Eli hesitated, sensing the edge in her voice. He wasn't sure how to answer without sounding like he was accusing her of hiding something—though deep down, he was certain she was. "I don't know," he said cautiously. "But there's more to it, isn't there? You fight like you've been through this more than once."
Cass's gaze hardened, her eyes locking onto Eli with a look that made his heart skip a beat. "You don't know anything," she snapped. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with something deeper than anger—something that almost sounded like pain. "You think surviving is some kind of miracle? It's not. It's just what's left when everything else is gone."
Eli felt a shiver run down his spine. He wanted to understand her, but her words were sharp, almost as if she was defending herself from something. Or maybe from them.
Luke leaned forward, his voice quieter now, more careful. "We're not saying it's easy, Cass. But you've been different since that thing appeared. We all felt it—the fear, the… hopelessness. But you acted like you've seen it before."
Cass didn't respond. She turned her back to them, staring out into the night, her shoulders tense. The firelight flickered, casting long shadows across her face, highlighting the exhaustion in her expression.
"I've seen more than you can imagine," she said finally, her voice low. "More than anyone should."
Eli's heart ached at the way she said it. There was a depth to her words that cut through the tension in the air. "Cass," he began gently, "you don't have to do this alone. We're here. You don't need to carry everything by yourself."
She didn't turn to face him, her body still rigid. "I've always been alone," she said softly. "That's just how it is."
Luke exchanged a worried glance with Eli. "But why, Cass? You've been carrying this weight for so long. You're exhausted. We can help."
For a moment, Cass said nothing. The silence stretched on, heavy and suffocating. Then, without warning, she stood, turning away from them, her face hard and unreadable. "I don't need help," she said coldly. "I don't need anyone."
Eli wanted to argue, to tell her that she did need help, that they were all struggling to survive in this nightmare together. But the look in her eyes stopped him. There was something final in her expression, something that said she wasn't going to let them in.
"Get some sleep," Cass said, her voice as sharp as ever. "We move at first light."
Eli opened his mouth to say something else, but Luke shook his head, silently telling him to let it go. Cass had already turned away, and Eli knew that no amount of pushing was going to get her to open up. Not tonight.
As Eli settled down beside Luke, he couldn't help but wonder how much longer Cass could keep going like this. Whatever burden she was carrying, it was eating away at her. And one day, it might be too much for even her to handle.
That night, Eli dreamed of the serpent. Its massive, pale body winding through the ruins, its dead eyes piercing through the shadows, its mouth filled with endless rows of teeth. And behind it, a figure—Cass—standing alone, watching it with a grim, resigned expression.