Chapter 11 – Shadows in the Wind
Silence.
> Did we stop?
The thought drifted lazily through Joshua's mind, his senses still fogged from sleep. But even in the haze, he knew the answer — no.
They hadn't stopped.
The world still blurred past, a rush of wind brushing against his tiny face. He could feel motion — fast, smooth, and silent.
> Wait… she's still moving?
He strained to listen, but there were no sounds — no footsteps, no snapping branches, not even the rustle of leaves.
Only the faint whistle of air as it cut past them.
His mother was moving — running — yet somehow quieter than the wind itself.
> How is she this fast… and this silent?
Joshua's mind buzzed with confusion and awe. Even with his infant body, his senses were sharp enough to recognize — this wasn't ordinary. This was something else.
For a while, nothing existed but the whisper of movement and the faint pounding of her heart beneath his ear. Then, gradually, the wind began to fade. The cold bite of the forest air softened.
They were leaving the woods.
His mother slowed her pace, her footsteps returning — soft, cautious, deliberate. The ground beneath her feet changed from wild soil to packed earth.
Through Joshua's half-open eyes, he caught glimpses — outlines of small houses, fences leaning against the night, narrow paths twisting like veins through the dark village.
Everywhere was silent.
No lights.
No people.
Just darkness — thick and waiting.
His mother didn't hesitate. She moved through the narrow paths with purpose, turning left, then right, as if following a map burned into her memory.
After several turns, she stopped in front of a small house — its windows shut, its door marked with faint symbols that glowed dimly under the moonlight.
She raised her hand and knocked softly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then waited.
Joshua could hear her breathing — shaky but steady, mixed with the faint rustle of her clothes.
No one answered.
The night stretched long and heavy.
Then — behind her — something shifted.
A faint creak.
A slow, deliberate sound.
From behind, a shadow began to move — silent, gliding, inching toward her.