Into the Dark

The group ran.

Leon Graves didn't look back. He didn't need to. He could feel the figure's eyes on him, watching as they disappeared into the forest.

His gut told him one thing—this wasn't over.

The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and old blood. The shadows stretched between the trunks, twisting in the dim light.

They didn't stop moving.

Not until the town was long behind them.

Leon slowed, his breathing steady, his pistol still drawn. The others caught up, stumbling to a stop in the clearing.

Eve Voss leaned against a tree, gripping her knees. "Jesus," she panted. "Who the hell was that?"

Leon's mind replayed the image of the cloaked figure. Still. Silent. Pointing.

He didn't like it.

"Don't know," he said finally. "Don't care."

Riley checked on Travis. He was still pale, barely conscious, his breathing uneven. They had stopped the bleeding, but without real medical supplies, he wouldn't last much longer.

"We can't keep carrying him like this," Riley said. "He needs rest."

Leon shook his head. "No stopping yet."

Eve glanced toward the treetops. The sun was already sinking behind the mountains. They didn't have much daylight left.

"Leon," she muttered, "we need a plan."

Leon exhaled, checking their surroundings. The forest was thick, the trees pressing in on all sides. No clear paths. No obvious shelters.

But staying out in the open was a death sentence.

"We find high ground," he said. "Camp for the night. Move at first light."

Nobody argued.

They kept walking.

It took nearly an hour before Leon spotted the old fire tower in the distance.

A skeletal metal structure, rising above the treetops. Tall. Defensible. A relic of the past, long abandoned.

It was their best shot.

Leon gestured ahead. "There."

Eve squinted. "Think it's safe?"

Leon didn't answer. They wouldn't know until they checked.

The group made their way up the steep hill, their exhaustion weighing them down. Tyler and Sam, the two kids, kept close together, whispering.

Finally, they reached the base of the tower. A rusted staircase spiraled upward, leading to the enclosed cabin at the top.

Leon tested the first step. It held.

"Stay here," he said. "I'll check it out."

Eve scowled. "Or, we don't split up."

Leon sighed but nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

They climbed.

The inside of the tower was empty.

A single cot sat against the wall. A rusted-out radio sat on a desk, covered in dust. Old maps and reports were scattered across the floor.

No bodies.

No blood.

Leon exhaled. "It'll do."

Eve checked the windows. "If we had a rifle, this would be a damn good sniper's nest."

Leon smirked. "You just want to shoot something."

Eve grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Down below, Riley and the others climbed the last steps, helping Travis onto the cot. He groaned but didn't wake.

Tyler and Sam curled up in a corner, exhausted.

Leon locked the hatch behind them. "We'll keep watch in shifts. Nobody goes down alone."

Eve nodded. "I'll take first."

Leon leaned against the wall, finally allowing himself to rest.

But he knew sleep wouldn't come.

Because somewhere out there, something was still hunting them.

And it wasn't finished yet.

The wind howled outside, rattling the tower. The stars above were cold, distant, unfeeling.

Eve sat near the window, her rifle across her lap, staring out at the darkened treetops.

Leon was half-awake, his instincts keeping him sharp despite the exhaustion.

Then—a sound from below.

Soft.

Familiar.

Click. Click. Click.

Leon's blood ran cold.

Eve sat up instantly. "Tell me you heard that."

Leon grabbed his pistol and moved to the window. He peered down.

Something moved at the base of the tower.

A shape, hunched and unnatural, its limbs too long, its head tilted as if listening.

Click. Click. Click.

Leon's grip tightened. The thing from the grocery store.

It had found them.

Eve whispered, "What the hell do we do?"

Leon's mind raced. They were too high up for it to reach them. But that meant nothing if it waited for them to come down.

Then the creature did something that sent a chill through Leon's spine.

It turned its head upward—and whispered.

Low. Faint.

In a voice that wasn't its own.

"Leonnn…."

Leon's stomach twisted.

Eve went rigid. "Oh, hell no."

The thing twitched violently, then crawled backward into the woods, disappearing into the dark.

The sound faded.

Gone.

But Leon knew better.

It would be back.

Leon didn't sleep.

Neither did Eve.

When the sun finally rose, the forest below was quiet.

Too quiet.

Leon checked his pistol, rolling his shoulders. "We move now."

Eve nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that."

They descended the stairs carefully, weapons ready.

When they reached the ground, Leon froze.

Something had been left at the base of the tower.

A dead deer, its throat slit, its stomach carved with strange symbols.

Blood pooled around it, already drying in the dirt.

Riley gagged. "Jesus."

Eve swore. "That's a message."

Leon exhaled slowly.

No tracks. No sign of who—or what—had done it.

But it didn't matter.

Leon knew the truth.

They weren't just running from the infected anymore.

They were being hunted.

By something far worse.

And it wasn't going to stop.