Jude kept his senses sharp, eyes scanning for any sign of movement. The silence was unnatural. Even in the deepest parts of the forest, there should have been the sounds of life, birds, insects, the rustling of small creatures. But here, there was nothing.
Lyara noticed it too. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I."
They moved carefully, their steps light against the forest floor. Hours passed in tense silence, the stillness pressing against them like an unseen force. And then, just as they reached a clearing, Jude stopped abruptly.
Something was wrong.
Lyara followed his gaze, her hand drifting to her weapon. The clearing ahead was untouched, no signs of struggle, no evidence of anything out of place. And yet, the moment Jude stepped forward, the ground shifted beneath him.
Instinct kicked in, and he threw himself back just as the earth split open where he had stood. Dark tendrils shot out from the cracks, writhing like living shadows.
