Chapter 1267

"She wasn't one of us," Jude finally said, breath still tight in his chest. "She looked like us, but she wasn't human anymore."

Lucy didn't move. "How many?"

"Five. Maybe more," he replied.

Sophie stopped pacing. "Then we're not dealing with possession anymore. We're dealing with a species."

Emma's jaw clenched. "Or a hive."

Natalie, pale but clear-headed for the first time in days, stood near the back, arms crossed, shivering despite the heat. "If the island made them… why now?"

"They've been waiting," Lucy said. "We weakened it. Burned its root. Now it's retaliating."

Susan slowly stood from the floor, where she'd been sitting beside Grace. "What if they're not here to attack?"

Everyone turned to her.

She shrugged, arms hugging herself. "I don't know. What if they're here to… spread?"

Zoey's grip on her knife tightened. "No. Hell no. We stop it here."