The Plan

"Shit,"

I quickly closed the door before anyone could notice, but Jan was already approaching.

"Everything alright?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

I forced my expression to remain neutral, calculating how much I should reveal.

Louise was dangerous, especially in his current state, but telling the group I'd been keeping him prisoner would raise too many questions.

"We've got a problem," I said, keeping my voice low. "There's something out there hunting us."

Jan's hand instinctively moved to his sword.

"The central cities forces?"

I shook my head.

"Something worse. A monster with abilities beyond what we've seen before. Fire-based, extremely dangerous, and now it knows where we are."

"Should we move locations?" Jan asked, already thinking tactically.