Day 14: The Unseen Threat
Morning came with the dull red glow of the sky pressing down on them, the thick air of the ruined city heavy with silence. Eli woke to the faint sound of crumbling rubble in the distance, his body stiff from the restless sleep. The night hadn't brought the rest he'd hoped for; instead, he had tossed and turned, haunted by images of the serpent and Cass's cold, distant words. He could still feel the weight of their conversation, the way she had shut them out again.
Cass was already up, of course. She stood near the entrance of the crumbling office building, her eyes scanning the empty street beyond, her posture rigid and tense. She hadn't spoken much since the night before, but her silence felt heavier than usual. There was something different about her today—something Eli couldn't quite place.
Luke stirred beside him, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "Another day in paradise," he muttered under his breath, his voice thick with exhaustion.
Eli nodded grimly, casting a glance toward Cass. She hadn't turned to acknowledge them yet, her focus completely on whatever lay beyond the broken walls of their shelter.
'What is it with her?' Eli thought to himself, watching her for a long moment. 'She's always guarded, but today… she feels even more distant. Like she's waiting for something.'
Luke followed Eli's gaze, frowning. "Cass seems… off, doesn't she?" he said quietly. "More than usual, I mean."
Eli sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. I noticed it too. I don't know if it's from yesterday or if something else is going on, but she's not herself."
Luke shook his head. "Whatever it is, we should keep an eye on her. She might not admit it, but she's running on fumes."
Before Eli could respond, Cass turned sharply toward them, her eyes flashing with an intensity that immediately put them on edge. "We're leaving," she said, her voice firm and without room for argument. "Now."
Eli and Luke exchanged a look but didn't question it. They had learned not to challenge Cass when she was like this. Without another word, they gathered their things, moving quickly and quietly. As they stepped out into the street, the quiet seemed to press down on them even harder than before.
Cass led the way, her steps faster than usual, her movements more tense. She didn't speak, didn't explain where they were going or why they were in such a hurry. Eli followed closely behind, his heart already pounding in his chest. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
'She knows something,' Eli thought, glancing at Cass's back. 'She's never like this unless there's danger. But I don't see anything. I don't hear anything. What is it?'
They moved through the ruined streets in silence, sticking to the shadows and avoiding open areas. The air was thick with an uneasy stillness, the kind of quiet that made every small sound feel like a threat. Eli's mind raced with possibilities—Wraithkin? More of the spiders? Or something worse, something they hadn't encountered yet?
Cass suddenly stopped, holding up a hand to signal for them to halt. Eli and Luke froze, their hearts pounding in unison as they scanned the area for danger. But there was nothing. No movement, no sounds, nothing that indicated an immediate threat.
"Cass?" Luke whispered, his voice barely audible. "What is it?"
Cass didn't answer right away. She stood perfectly still, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the horizon, her body coiled like she was preparing for a fight. But Eli didn't see anything.
'There's nothing here,' Eli thought, his pulse quickening. 'What is she looking at?'
After a long moment, Cass turned toward them, her expression hard. "Run," she said, her voice low and urgent.
Eli blinked, his stomach twisting in confusion. "What? Why?"
"Run," she repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now."
Luke looked just as bewildered as Eli, but the intensity in Cass's eyes made them both move. They started running, their legs pumping as they followed her down the narrow street. Eli's heart pounded in his chest, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the broken walls of the buildings around them.
But still, nothing happened.
The silence stretched on as they ran, and Eli's confusion grew. His breath came in short, sharp gasps as he struggled to keep up with Cass, who was moving faster than he had ever seen her move. But there was no sign of danger. No Wraithkin. No spiders. Nothing.
'Why are we running?' Eli thought frantically, his legs burning with the effort. 'What are we running from?'
Luke was starting to slow, his breathing labored. "Cass!" he called out, his voice strained. "What are we running from? I don't see anything!"
Cass didn't slow down, didn't even turn to acknowledge the question. She just kept moving, her eyes locked straight ahead, her body tense. "Keep running," she snapped.
Eli's mind raced as he pushed himself to keep up, his lungs burning with every breath. 'This doesn't make sense. Cass wouldn't tell us to run for no reason. But there's nothing here. Nothing at all.'
After what felt like an eternity, Cass finally came to a stop, her chest rising and falling with deep, controlled breaths. Eli and Luke staggered to a halt behind her, both of them gasping for air, their bodies trembling with exhaustion.
Eli bent over, hands on his knees, his lungs burning as he tried to catch his breath. "Cass," he panted. "What… the hell… was that?"
Cass didn't answer right away. She stood still, her eyes scanning the area once more, as if she was waiting for something to appear. Her face was set in that same cold, distant expression, but there was something else behind it now—something close to fear.
Luke straightened up, his breath still ragged. "There was nothing back there," he said, his voice tight with frustration. "Why did we just run like that?"
Cass finally turned to face them, her eyes hard. "You don't understand," she said quietly, her voice low and filled with something that made Eli's stomach churn. "We're in something's territory now. You just don't see it yet."
Eli's blood ran cold. 'Something's territory?' He scanned the area around them, his heart hammering in his chest, but still, there was nothing. Just the ruined buildings and the silent streets. 'What could she mean? There's nothing here.'
"What is it?" Eli asked, his voice shaking. "What's out here?"
Cass's jaw tightened. She looked past him, her eyes narrowing as if she was seeing something they couldn't. "Not everything in this world hunts like the Wraithkin," she said softly. "Some things wait. They watch. And when they strike, it's already too late."
Luke exchanged a nervous glance with Eli. "What are we talking about, Cass? What kind of thing waits?"
Cass didn't answer. She turned away again, her body stiff and tense. "It doesn't matter," she muttered. "Just stay quiet and keep moving. If we're lucky, it won't notice us."
Eli felt his pulse quicken. Whatever it was, it was something Cass was afraid of. And that scared him more than anything else.
As they continued moving through the ruins, the silence felt heavier than ever. Every step felt like it was echoing too loudly, every breath felt like it was being heard by something they couldn't see. Eli's mind raced, trying to imagine what kind of creature could be watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
And then the thought struck him—if Cass had told them to run when there was no visible danger, it meant one thing.
'She's seen this thing before.'
They kept moving, their steps careful and deliberate, the fear gnawing at the edges of their minds. And as they walked deeper into the heart of the city, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows, something far worse than anything they had encountered before.
Cass knew it was out there. She always knew. And for the first time, Eli felt the full weight of her experience—an experience she wouldn't talk about, an experience that made her more distant, more haunted than ever.