By morning, the forest felt like it had grown teeth.
We moved out just after first light. No one needed to be told twice. The sound of helicopters had started before dawn—three of them, circling like vultures, black shadows against the blood-streaked sky. No insignia. No lights. Just that relentless thwup-thwup-thwup overhead.
Kade didn't say much. None of us did.
The military was here.
And it wasn't just cleanup.
"Where are we going?" I asked, adjusting the strap of my pack as I moved beside him.
"Cave system northeast of the ridge," he replied. "Single entrance. Mostly dry. Better cover than out here."
"A bottleneck," I muttered. "If it finds us again…"
"We hold the line," Kol said behind us, his voice gruff. He looked rough—bruised, blood on his sleeve—but steady.
Martinez grunted in agreement. "Rather be pinned in a cave than out here bleeding in the open."
Rourke and Hale flanked the rear, both watchful. No one laughed. No one made light of it.
We passed what was left of the last vehicle. The one the creature had destroyed the night before. Steel torn like paper. The wheels were still spinning slightly, like the truck hadn't realized it was dead yet.
And still, no sign of the thing.
No footprints.
No heat signatures.
Just the constant pressure of being watched.
Nyx whispered at the back of my mind, low and sharp. He's close. He's waiting. He wants someone to fall behind.
As if summoned by her voice—gunfire cracked behind us.
One shot.
Then a scream.
I spun.
Kade was already running.
The rest of us followed.
But it was too late.
One of Kade's men—Burke—was gone.
Not a body. Not even a shred of fabric.
Just blood.
And a smear of something sharp gouged deep into the earth.
Kol knelt beside the mark. "Dragged," he said. "Fast."
Martinez cursed.
Kade stood silent for a long moment, then lifted his head. "Keep moving. No stragglers. Watch your corners."
We didn't argue.
The cave was less than half a mile from the ridge—low and narrow, carved into the base of a rock wall. Not ideal. But better than nothing. We slipped inside one by one, flashlights cutting sharp beams through the dark.
It wasn't much.
But it was protection.
And for now, that was enough.
Outside, the forest waited.
Above us, the helicopters circled like wolves.
And behind us, in the trees—
Something monstrous breathed.