Chapter 1113

That night, they lit no fire. They slept in silence, close together. Sophie clung to Jude. Emma kept a blade under her pillow. Only Natalie and Lucy were missing now.

And in the shadows, Jude could feel them circling.

Waiting for the last cracks to form.

The night didn't end, it simply changed shape. Jude sat upright in the bed, the soft weight of Sophie curled beside him not enough to calm the tension coiled in his chest. He hadn't slept, not really. Every sound from outside had him flinching, listening. Each gust of wind against the wooden walls could've been Rose. Or Layla. Or Zoey. Or now, Stella. Their numbers were dwindling. Their circle was shrinking. And the ones still holding on were running out of room to breathe.