Chapter 30

Dawn broke with a muted glow, casting the town in a pale, lifeless light. The coldness that had seeped into my bones overnight hadn’t lifted, and even as the others stirred awake, there was a palpable tension in the air. No one spoke as we packed up our gear, the only sounds coming from the rustle of bags and the distant wind sweeping through the streets.

Jake stood near the window, his face set in a hard frown as he surveyed the desolate town. Marcus leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Caleb checked his gun for what felt like the hundredth time since we’d woken up.

“So what’s the plan?” Marcus finally broke the silence, his voice gruff. “We gonna sit here and wait for him to come back?”

Jake turned away from the window, his eyes narrowing. “We need answers. He’s been leading us this whole time, and I don’t like playing his game. But if we leave, we might miss our chance to figure out what’s really going on.”

Caleb sighed, pacing the room. “He’s not just toying with us for fun. There’s something deeper. The way he moved—he’s not some random guy.”

I nodded in agreement. "It’s like he knows exactly how to stay one step ahead."

A long silence followed, heavy with uncertainty. None of us wanted to admit the truth—that we had no real plan. We were in his territory, chasing a shadow, and the town felt like a trap closing in around us.

“Alright,” Jake said, his voice low but firm. “We head out. Sweep the town, check every building, every corner. If he’s still here, we’ll flush him out.”

We all nodded, falling into a tense, focused silence. The plan wasn’t great, but it was something. The alternative—waiting for him to strike again—felt far worse.

We moved as a unit, Jake in the lead with Caleb flanking him, Marcus and I covering the rear. The streets were eerily quiet, the wind whistling through the narrow alleys, kicking up small clouds of dust. Every shadow felt like a threat, every movement in the corner of my eye set my heart racing.

The first few buildings were empty, filled only with broken furniture and dust. We checked every room, every creaking floorboard, but there was no sign of life. As we pushed deeper into the heart of the town, the sense of unease only grew. It felt too quiet. Too still.

“Anything?” Jake called back from the front.

“Nothing,” I replied, my voice hoarse from tension. “It’s like this place is completely abandoned.”

“Or he’s watching us from somewhere,” Marcus muttered, his eyes scanning the rooftops.

We reached the central square of the town, a wide open space with a crumbling fountain in the center. The buildings surrounding it loomed overhead, their windows dark and broken. Jake signaled for us to fan out, each of us taking a side of the square.

I walked cautiously toward one of the buildings, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling as I approached the door. I pushed it open slowly, the hinges creaking in protest. Inside, the room was dimly lit by the weak sunlight filtering through the cracks in the boarded-up windows.

As I stepped inside, a cold draft swept past me, and I shivered. The room was empty, save for a few overturned chairs and a thick layer of dust covering the floor. I moved further in, checking the corners, but there was no sign of anyone.

Just as I turned to leave, a sound echoed from above—a soft thud, like something had fallen.

My heart jumped into my throat, and I froze, straining to listen. The building was silent again, but the sound had been real. Someone—or something—was up there.

I took a deep breath, gripping my knife tightly as I headed toward the staircase at the back of the room. Each step creaked beneath my feet, and I kept my eyes on the upper landing, half-expecting the figure to appear again.

When I reached the top, I paused, listening. The hallway was empty, but the door at the far end was slightly ajar, a thin sliver of light spilling out from the crack. My pulse quickened as I approached, my footsteps soft and deliberate.

I pushed the door open slowly, and the room inside came into view. It was small, with a single window overlooking the square below. A desk sat against the wall, covered in papers, and a few old, rusty tools lay scattered on the floor. But it wasn’t the room that caught my attention.

It was the figure standing by the window, his back to me.

I froze, my heart pounding in my ears. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t turned to acknowledge me. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he even knew I was there.

But then he spoke, his voice low and gravelly. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

My grip tightened on the knife, my instincts screaming at me to run. But I forced myself to stay calm, to keep my voice steady. “Who are you?”

The figure turned slowly, and as his face came into the light, my breath caught in my throat. It wasn’t just his hooded eyes or the sharp, weathered lines of his face. It was the look in his eyes—a look of recognition.

“You know who I am,” he said quietly, his gaze piercing through me. “You’ve been looking for me this whole time.”

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. He wasn’t a stranger. He was someone we had all been searching for, though we hadn’t known it.

“I know what you’ve been doing,” he continued, taking a step toward me. “But you’re in over your head. This town isn’t what it seems.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

He shook his head, a shadow passing over his face. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves into. But you will. Soon.”

Before I could react, he moved—swiftly, like a blur. One moment he was standing in front of me, the next he was gone, slipping through the door and disappearing down the hallway.

I rushed after him, my heart racing, but when I reached the stairs, there was no sign of him. I hurried down to the square, where the others were waiting.

“He was here,” I gasped, breathless. “He’s gone again, but he said something—something about the town. It’s not what it seems.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What did he say exactly?”

I shook my head, frustration boiling inside me. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, we’re in deeper than we thought.”

As we stood there, the wind howling through the empty streets, the weight of his words settled over us.

This town wasn’t just abandoned. It was hiding something. And now, we were part of it.

But what that meant, none of us knew yet.