Chapter 6: Final Moments Before the Hunt

Before they knew it, they were inside the very same forest they had gotten lost in the first time. The dense canopy above cast eerie shadows across the ground, and the distant sounds of nocturnal creatures only made the atmosphere heavier. The realization set in all at once, and Erica, ever the optimist, let out an unimpressed sigh.

"What a shame this is how we die," she muttered, completely devoid of care.

The twins, who had long since learned not to entertain Erica's morbid commentary, ignored her. However, the merchant—who had yet to be properly acquainted with her unshakable apathy—took the bait.

The merchant, ever the dramatic one, placed a hand over his chest and declared, "Fear not! I shall pro–—"

He barely made it through the first sentence before Erica was already walking ahead of him, leaving his grand proclamation hanging in the air. The twins exchanged glances before Sydney snorted.

"It's kind of impressive how he hasn't given up yet."

Sid nodded sagely. "She's really not making it easy for him."

As if realizing he had yet to introduce himself properly, the merchant hurried to catch up with them. "Wait! I haven't even told you my name! It's Leee… Lee Baker!" He grinned widely, clearly pleased with himself.

Sid gave him an awkward pat on the back. "It's best to give up now, Lee Baker."

Sydney added with a smirk, "Only us and our mom have been able to tame Erica's apathy."

Lee, taking this as some kind of challenge, puffed out his chest and loudly declared, "I will never give up on Erica!"

The weight of his words lingered in the air for a moment too long, creating an unfortunate silence that made his statement sound far more sentimental than intended. Erica, without missing a beat, clicked her tongue and muttered, "Creep."

Lee spluttered, scrambling for a defense, but before he could speak, a low snarl cut through the tense silence. The group immediately froze, instincts kicking in. The sound came from the direction they had been walking towards.

Erica, who had somehow unknowingly become the leader of their group, immediately turned around and started walking back to the village.

"Nope," she muttered under her breath.

It was, of course, too late. The beast emerged from the shadows, its hulking form stepping into the moonlight. It was grotesque—almost resembling a hippo, but with patches of mangy fur and a mouth lined with jagged, glistening teeth. Its breath came in ragged huffs, its glowing yellow eyes locked onto them.

Erica took one long look at it and sighed. "Ah. So this is really how we die."

Lee, exasperated, threw his hands up. "Can you at least try to survive first?!"

Every instinct in Erica's body told her to run—to leave the merchant to his fate and never look back. But then she saw it. The fear in her cousins' eyes.

Her pulse steadied. She didn't have the luxury of running. Not this time.

Instead, she went into fixer mode.