"Come on! Finish the damn story!" a large, bearded man barked from across the room, slamming his mug down onto the table with a loud 'thud'.
Riley glanced around at the villagers seated at the rough-hewn tables, their faces flushed with drink, laughter echoing off the dimly lit rafters. For now, they appeared to be just that—normal villagers enjoying a night of revelry.
But he knew better. Within a few hours, this very tavern would transform, its patrons shifting from harmless merrymakers to something monstrous.
The thought twisted in his gut as he stood, pushing back his chair with a scrape that drew curious glances.
Without a word, he walked toward the door, leaving the clamoring crowd behind. He didn't need to explain himself; the urgency of his mission overshadowed any social niceties.
He was on edge, waiting for that inevitable moment when one of them might reveal the signs of knowing—the glint of awareness that had marked his previous loop.
