Chapter 18

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

The only sound was the quiet hum of the night, the occasional rustling of leaves as the wind swept through the trees. Tyler kept staring at the photo, his fingers gripping the phone like it was the only thing keeping him together.

Zariyah stayed by his side, silent, but present.

Then, after what felt like forever, Tyler let out a slow, shaky breath.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to move forward from this. How do you… how do you even begin to let go?”

Zariyah bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to give him an answer, something that would take the pain away.

But she couldn’t.

Because she didn’t know either.

So instead, she spoke the only truth she knew.

“You don’t,” she murmured. “You don’t let go, not really. You just… carry them with you.”

Tyler finally tore his gaze away from the screen to look at her. His eyes were searching, desperate for something—anything—that would make this hurt less.

“Does it ever stop hurting?” he asked.

Zariyah swallowed.

“I don’t think so.”

Tyler exhaled sharply, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. “Great. That’s comforting.”

Zariyah almost smiled. Almost.

But then, the air around them shifted.

A chill crawled down her spine, raising the hairs on her arms.

Tyler felt it too. His expression changed, the grief in his eyes replaced with something else.

Something wary.

He glanced past her, out towards the entrance of his tent. “Did you hear that?”

Zariyah stiffened.

She hadn’t. But she felt something.

The same unsettling presence from earlier.

Like a shadow lingering just beyond their reach. Watching. Waiting.

A low rustling sound came from outside. Not the wind. Something else.

Something moving.

Zariyah’s hand instinctively reached for her pocket—only to remember she didn’t have anything to defend herself with.

Tyler’s breathing grew shallow. “Zariyah—”

Before he could finish, a sharp sound cut through the silence.

A whisper.

Close.

Too close.

"Alicia…"

Zariyah’s blood ran cold.

She wasn’t sure if it had come from outside the tent.

Or inside.

Zariyah was too done with this shadow type of guy that she didn’t wait this time. She looked around, and when she couldn’t find anything suspicious other than Tyler in there, she stepped outside.

The air thrummed, her hair flying everywhere, as she heard again, "Alicia..."

This time, she went to Tyler’s tent and, from the outside, called out, “Tyler. Go to sleep. I'll be out for a while. If by any chance Mason wakes up, tell him I’m gone for a night walk or something.”

Without waiting for a response, she left, her steps quick as she moved further into the forest.

The wind howled through the trees as Zariyah stood her ground, her fists clenched at her sides. Her patience had long worn thin. She had been hunted, tormented, played with like some kind of pawn, and she was done. If this shadowy thing had a problem with them, it was time to bring it to the surface.

"Alicia…"

The whisper echoed around her, but she didn’t flinch this time. Instead, she took a step forward, eyes darting between the trees.

"Hey!" she roared, her voice cutting through the air. "Are you too scared to show up?! Why do you keep messing with my group?! What deal do you have with my friends?! Why can’t you leave us alone?! "

The forest went eerily silent.

For a moment, Zariyah almost thought she had imagined it all—that maybe she was yelling at nothing. But then, a low, distant chuckle rumbled through the trees. It was soft at first, like the wind playing tricks on her ears, but it grew louder, more tangible, until it was unmistakable.

"How funny," the voice mused, smooth yet sinister. "The prey has walked straight into the predator’s trap."

Her breath hitched.

From the shadows, a figure began to emerge. At first, it was just a vague distortion, a ripple in the darkness itself. Then, slowly, it took shape—arms, legs, a body, a face, all forming like ink bleeding into reality.

Zariyah held her ground, her heart hammering in her chest.

The shadow fully solidified into a man, his features sharp yet blurred around the edges, as if he wasn’t entirely real. He took a single step forward, and suddenly, they were inches apart.

Their eyes locked—hers burning with fury, his unreadable.

The air between them was razor-thin, the tension crackling like static.

"Who are you?" Zariyah demanded, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.

The man tilted his head, a slow smirk curling on his lips. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

T. B. C.

Who is this guy?

Why is he targeting our group?

Happy Reading!