Standing at the edge of the ravine, the Irregulars stared down into the abyss where the third of seven bridges should have been. The only sign of its absence were the broken ravine walls where the anchors must have been torn from their perches, swallowed whole by the darkness below.
Lauri glanced left, then right, scratching at the stubble on his jaw as if the bridge might simply be hiding from him.
"Well then… I guess that saves us some time."
Lucky stepped closer to the edge, leaning forward to peer into the void when the ground shifted.
A section of stone beneath his foot cracked loose and slipped – Danse moved without looking, his hand snapping out to grab the back of Lucky's black bodysuit and haul him back just as the stone vanished into the abyss.
They listened for a few moments, but no sound came as the rocks fell into the ravine; no impact or echo made it back to their ears.
Lucky froze for a second, eyes wide, before turning to Danse.
"…Thanks."
Danse gave a small shrug, already looking back into the ravine.
Mele stepped forward, though not quite as close as Lucky had. She peered down, frowning slightly.
"What do you think happened to it?"
Standing a couple of steps away from the group, specifically a few steps away from the ravine, Vick crossed her arms as a cold breeze swept through the group.
"Best guess?"
She said lightly, her eyes narrowed just a fraction as she looked into the darkness beyond the Rhino's powerful headlights.
"Some Nightmare Creature got bored… and decided it didn't like the view."
Sansa frowned.
"The anchors weren't snapped…"
She pointed to the torn stone.
"They were pulled out. So either something yanked them free… or something heavy enough tried to cross that it tore the whole thing down."
Listening to Sansa's words, the group inched closer to the ravine, peering into its depths.
"…Which means whatever did it might still be down there."
A low, distant sound rolled across the landscape. It didn't come from the ravine; instead, it came from somewhere far beyond it. The noise drifted through the air. Not quite a rumble, not quite a roar. Something in between.
Lucky glanced up, frowning slightly.
"…What was that?"
No one answered.
The sound came again, just as distant.
Mele's expression tightened.
"…That's not getting closer."
Sansa shook her head slightly.
"…No. It's just there."
Vick's eyes lingered on the horizon for a moment longer before she exhaled softly.
"…I don't like this."
Gripping Lucky's arm, Katrina gently pulled him back from the edge as she stepped away from the ravine.
"You don't think…"
She began, then hesitated for a moment. Her eyes flicked toward the distant darkness.
"You don't think some Nightmare Creatures are fighting each other, do you?"
Lucky blinked, then frowned.
"What do you mean? Nightmare Creatures only kill humans, don't they?"
Katrina continued quietly.
"With no humans around… They'd have to find something else to feed on."
Lucky's mouth went dry.
The image popped into his mind like a curse – two Nightmare Creatures locked together in the dark, tearing into one another, ripping flesh and bone apart in a frenzy to see which one would survive and which one would become dinner.
He swallowed hard.
The wind picked up again, carrying the sound away until it faded back into silence.
Lauri watched the darkness for a second longer, then turned.
"Back to the Rhino."
The group needed no further prompting.
Lucky was the first to move, quickly retreating from the ravine, Katrina right beside him as she kept a firm grip on his arm. Sansa and Mele followed, their pace quick – just shy of a run, though neither of them looked back.
Behind them, the others were slower.
Vick exhaled softly, uncrossing her arms as she turned away from the abyss. Danse rolled his shoulders once before falling into step, his expression calm but alert.
Lauri lingered, his gaze swept across the opposite side of the ravine one last time before he turned away, following the rest of the group with measured and unhurried steps.
Even before awakening his Aspect – before he had become a beacon of light in the dark – Lauri had never been afraid of the dark, or of what hid within it. Where others hesitated, imagining shapes in the shadows, Lauri had always looked directly into them. Not with bravado or with ignorance – but with quiet certainty. As he had always known, the dark was not something to fear.
It was simply something to understand.
But if something did happen to be lurking within it… Then Lauri would simply remind it why it hid from the light.
For a moment, only the crunch of snow beneath their boots filled the silence. Then Danse let out a quiet breath.
"I can't say I miss working under the Government; this whole crisis has been like hell."
Vick glanced at him.
"I didn't realise you had taken a break from working for the Government. Why was that?"
Danse shook his head.
"I had taken some time off to try and prepare for my Second Nightmare, sadly… My plans fell through, but lucky me, I joined back up just in time to be shipped off to Antarctica. If only I had waited a month or two."
A faint smirk tugged at Vick's lips as she gestured around them to the cold Antarctic night.
"Come now, Danse. Don't tell me your life would have been better without all this. Think of all the beautiful sights you've seen since coming to Antarctica."
Danse hummed softly before rolling his eyes.
"Am I meant to be appreciating the beauty of the night, or the beautiful sight of all the Nightmare Creatures that have tried to eat me since I stepped off the boat that brought us here? I feel like I could have just seen these sights in a book or something."
Vick tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing at her lips.
"Aww… but think of poor Lucky. He's started looking up to you, you know?"
Danse snorted.
"That's his first mistake."
Lauri let out a quiet breath through his nose, the faintest hint of amusement touching his expression.
"If anything, Lucky might be the luckiest out of all of us."
Vick glanced at him.
"Oh?"
Lauri's gaze drifted ahead, toward the Rhino. The younger members of the group had all reached the Rhino by this point, taking refuge behind the safety of its alloy walls.
"Have either of you noticed how close he and Katrina have been lately?"
Danse blinked once, then let out a low chuckle.
"Yeah. Hard to miss."
He scratched the back of his head, glancing between the two of them.
"So… what, are they a thing now?"
Vick's smile widened slightly, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Not officially."
Danse raised an eyebrow.
"Not officially… How does that work?"
Vick let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.
"Katrina asked me the other day if I was seeing anyone."
Both men turned to look at Vick, equally confused. Vick smiled, her expression turning just a touch more knowing.
"I doubt she was asking for my sake. I'm guessing she was trying to figure out how to ask a boy out."
Lauri's brow lifted in quiet understanding, while Danse blinked once – then let out a short laugh.
"…Ah."
Smiling, Lauri shook his head.
"Oh, young love."
As they reached the Rhino, Danse glanced at Lauri, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Young love? Aren't you in your early thirties?"
Lauri gave him a look.
"I am in my early thirties… I'm thirty-four to be exact."
Danse huffed out a quiet laugh.
"Close enough."