16. A Flicker In The Dark

*"This whole trip was a mistake,"* Harper muttered, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

The group sat around the campfire, their faces bathed in the flickering light. The night had grown colder, the wind carrying whispers through the trees that seemed to echo the unease settling over them. Tension hung thick in the air, a tangible thing that none of them could shake.

Ava shifted uncomfortably, pulling her jacket tighter around her. *"We're all feeling it, Harper. But we need to stay calm. Freaking out won't solve anything."*

Tristan glanced at her, his eyes betraying the exhaustion he was trying to hide. *"It's not just about staying calm, Ava. We need answers. If we don't figure out what's happening, we could be next."*

Leaning forward, Julian poked the fire with a stick, sending a spray of embers into the air. *"So what are we saying? That one of us did this? That we're sitting here with a murderer?"*

Silence fell over the group, the crackling fire the only sound. No one wanted to acknowledge the possibility, but the truth was inescapable. The longer they stayed, the more they were forced to confront the reality that someone among them was hiding something.

Ava sighed, her eyes darting to each of her friends. *"We've been through so much together. I can't believe any of us could do something like this."*

"*Maybe you don't know us as well as you think,*" Harper shot back, her tone sharp.

Nate, who had been silent for most of the night, finally spoke up. *"There's no use turning on each other. We need to figure out who had the most to gain from… from what happened."*

Julian looked up from the fire, his expression hard. *"And how do we do that, Nate? None of us knows the full story. We're just stumbling around in the dark here."*

*"Then maybe it's time we turn on the lights,"* Nate said, his voice steady. *"No more secrets. We lay it all out here, tonight."*

Harper crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. *"And who's going to start? Are we really just going to confess everything?"*

Before anyone could answer, the wind picked up, howling through the trees. The fire flickered, the flames dancing wildly as if in response to the tension among them.

Ava felt a chill run down her spine, but it wasn't from the cold. There was something more, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She looked around the group, searching for any sign of guilt, of fear, but all she saw were the same faces she'd known for years—only now, those faces were strangers.

*"What if it's not just one of us?"* Ava asked quietly.

The others turned to her, confusion and curiosity in their eyes.

*"What do you mean?"* Tristan asked, his voice softening.

*"What if we're all being played? What if someone else is out there, watching us, manipulating us? We've all got secrets, things we don't want anyone else to know, but that doesn't mean we're capable of… this."*

The thought lingered in the air, taking root in the minds of those around the fire. The idea that they were not alone, that someone or something else was behind the darkness that had descended upon them, was both terrifying and oddly comforting. It meant they weren't alone in their fear, that perhaps they weren't the monsters they feared themselves to be.

Nate was the first to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. *"If that's true, then we need to be even more careful. We can't let whoever it is divide us."*

Julian nodded, his grip tightening on the stick he still held. *"Agreed. We stick together, no matter what."*

But as the group fell into an uneasy silence, Ava couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was out there, watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And when that moment came, she knew their unity, their trust, would be put to the ultimate test.

For now, the fire was their only protection, its light a fragile barrier between them and the darkness beyond. But as the night wore on and the shadows grew longer, Ava couldn't help but wonder how much longer that light would last.

And what would happen when it finally went out.