Watching Mikey fire up a ring of fire around them only deepened Ezrik's unease. The flames would do more than keep them warm and they would draw whatever lurked in the forest straight to them.
Still, he said nothing, leaning against the rough bark of a tree and watching Zeke tend to Payton's wounds.
Atlas, meanwhile, stared at the fire as if it were a living thing, fascinated, while Reed perched on a branch beside Evren, scanning the darkness for any sign of danger.
Ezrik already knew what was out there.
The roars were terrifyingly familiar, echoing memories he had tried to bury. The silver-haired woman, lying in a pool of her own blood, her guts scattered across the dirt, her lifeless green eyes staring straight at him. His body shivered involuntarily, and he let out a long, bitter sigh, pushing off the tree.
