Story 923: The Hollow Refuge

The world around them lurched. One moment, they were fleeing the Rotting King, diving into the abyss beyond the gate. The next, they landed hard on damp soil, the scent of decay thick in the air.

Mira groaned, rolling onto her side. Draven was already up, shotgun in hand, scanning the shrouded forest around them. Gnarled trees twisted toward a sky drenched in eerie blue light, their branches resembling clawed hands. The air felt alive, like it was breathing with them.

Zara wiped blood from her lip, eyes flicking to Elias. "You good?"

Elias nodded, but his fingers trembled around his revolver. "Where the hell are we?"

Mira pushed herself up, heart hammering. She still held the Cursed Book, its pages humming with faint energy. It had brought them here, but why?

Then—movement.

Draven spun, aiming at a crouching figure just beyond the trees. A woman, wrapped in tattered cloth, her skin pale and stretched tight over her bones. Shackles clung to her wrists, rusted and broken.