The words slam into me like a death blow. I can't breathe. Can't think. Without another word, I turn on my heel and stalk down the corridor, every step heavier than the last. How can Stacy say that to me after everything we shared? Once outside, the moment the cold air hits me, I shift violentl
JASON. Stacy's body is stiff, and unyielding as I hug her. But I don't care because she is back in my life just like I have prayed to the goddess countless times over the years. Oh goddess, thank you for answering my prayers.... I whispers to myself but then, with a force that knocks me back, sh
STACY. (An hour prior to Jason meeting Stacy) The past two days of healing sick packmates have wrung me dry. My limbs ache deep in the bone, my skin feels stretched thin over exhaustion, and my eyes—goddess, my eyes have had it the worst. I blink into the darkness, seeing nothing. Not that I e
JASON. (Meanwhile back in midnight Pack after two days) The stench of death is everywhere. It clings to my skin, my clothes, and my hair, settling deep in my lungs until I feel sick with it. No matter how deep I breathe, I can’t escape the rot of sickness, the reek of my packmates dying. Ano
We don’t speak again for the rest of the journey. --- The moment we arrive, the horror unfolds in slow motion. Even before the car fully stops, the sour, cloying smell of sickness, sweat, and death hits. I push the door open and step out, the sight before me turning my blood to ice. The pack’s
STACY. The car ride to Black Hollow pack is quiet. The only sounds are the soft hum of the tires on the road and the gentle music playing in the background. It makes the silence feel a little less heavy, but not by much even through I have slept most of the trip because I was so tired and weak.