The smell of antiseptic filled the air.
Kristi had been working on Jim for almost an hour. The room was quieter now — everyone's nerves settling, though no one really relaxed.
Dean opened his eyes slowly. He hadn't realized he'd drifted off for a few minutes. His neck hurt from the awkward angle he'd fallen asleep in.
Jim was still on the cot. His breathing was steady now, slow but strong. Tabitha hadn't moved from his side. Ethan had fallen asleep with his head resting on her arm, clutching his small toy soldier.
Sara sat by the window, watching the street and Julie was sitting beside her talking now and then.
Dean stood up quietly and stretched. His muscles protested with every move.
Kristi glanced up. "You should rest, Dean. You look dead on your feet."
He gave a half-smile. "You're not far off."
"Go to Kenny's house," she said. "You'll get better rest there than here."
Dean looked at Jim again. "I'll stay until he wakes up."
Kristi sighed but didn't argue. She went back to cleaning her tools.
Kenny came back a few minutes later, from his regular patrol. Seeing Dean awake he spok,"Boyd knows. He's telling the others to stay alert tonight. Says something's off in the woods."
Sara finally spoke. "Off how?"
Kenny shrugged. "Just a feeling he got. He told us that we shouldn't go too deep inside the forest."
Everyone nodded at that as no one wanted to go into that creepy forest. Well except for Dean.
Dean frowned. He kind of had mixed feelings about that. To be honest he wanted to explore that forest, find out more clues, more mysteries and try to complete the percentage progress as quickly as possible. He really didn't like staying in this world anymore. Just a day he had arrived and already there were so much issues. If he had to stay here for three whole years...only God knows what would happen.
For a while, no one said anything more. The air was heavy — the kind of silence that follows fear.
Then, Jim moved.
A small sound escaped his lips, rough and weak. Tabitha's head snapped up instantly. "Jim?" she whispered.
His eyelids fluttered. Slowly, his eyes opened. They were unfocused at first, then locked on Tabitha.
"Hey," she said softly, tears already filling her eyes. "You're safe. You're home."
Jim blinked a few times. His throat worked, but no sound came.
Kristi hurried over, holding a small cup of water. "Easy. Just sip."
He took a small drink, his hand shaking. His voice came out rough, barely a whisper. "The… trees…"
Dean stepped closer. "What about them?"
Jim's eyes flicked toward him — confused, scared. "They… whispered. Called me by name."
Everyone froze.
Sara frowned. "Called you?"
Jim nodded slowly. "They told me to come closer. Then… I saw faces in the bark. Moving. Watching me."
Kenny muttered under his breath, "That's not normal."
Dean leaned in. "Did you hear what they said?"
Jim hesitated, then nodded. "They said… the veil is thinning."
'What the fuck is that supposed to mean now?' Dean raised his eyebrow.
Sara 's , eyes narrowed. "The veil?"
Jim closed his eyes, his voice fading. "Something's coming… I can feel it."
Then he went still again, slipping back into sleep.
Tabitha brushed his hair back gently, whispering to him.
Dean took a step back, his mind racing. "The veil is thinning…" he repeated under his breath.
Sara met his eyes. "You know what that means?"
Dean shook his head. "Nah...but that sounds hella creepy."
Just that a faint hum in his head told him the system had assigned something — a new quest.
He focused, and the interface blinked to life again, in his mind.
××
Quest: Investigate the Creepy Forest.
Objective: Cover an area of at least three kilometres kilometer in radius around the town within thirty days.
Reward: 1000 Points
Progress Percentage 3%
70% purchase discount coupon
××
Dean's eyes widened as the glowing text faded from his vision. His heart gave a sharp thump.
'Three kilometers… thirty days…' he thought. This wasn't just another side quest — it was a full-scale mission. The biggest time-limited quest he'd ever received. And the rewards — 1000 points and a 70% discount coupon — were unbelievable. The system had never offered that much before, not even when he'd fought for his life after coming in this world.
A three-kilometer sweep around the town meant forests, old buildings, and maybe even some creepy encounters." He'd need help — Kenny for scouting, Sara for ranged support, Kristi for medical aid, and Boyd to coordinate from town.
He pictured the task in his head — fifteen days to map the inner zone and another fifteen for the outer one. It was dangerous, but if the system wanted this done, something big was definitely coming.
But it would be hard to convince everyone after all the stuff that happened today. He needed to plan propely and maybe use the vision thingy and his future knowledge for support.
He scratched his head and decided to mull over it in bed.
Just as he closed the interface, quick footsteps echoed in the hallway — light, small, and fast.
The door burst open.
"Dean!"
Maegan came running across the room, a wide smile on her face. She jumped straight into his arms.
He caught her instinctively, stumbling a bit. "Whoa— easy there, kiddo."
Maegan clung to him for a moment before pulling back with a little frown. "You didn't keep your promise!" she said, her voice half-angry, half-hurt. "You said you'd play with me, but you never came!"
Dean blinked, a bit guilty. "Ah… yeah. About that." He rubbed the back of his neck, forcing a sheepish smile. "I kinda ran into… a situation."
Maegan puffed out her cheeks. "That's not fair!"
Dean crouched down so he was eye level with her. "Okay, okay, I owe you one. How about we play after lunch? I promise this time. Cross my heart." He made an exaggerated motion across his chest.
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Promise?"
"Promise," Dean said, smiling. "But only if you let me rest for five minutes first. My legs feel like they've been hit by a truck."
Before Maegan could reply, a voice came from the doorway.
"Maegan! What did I tell you about yelling indoors?"
Her mother stepped in, her tone firm but gentle. She was carrying two paper bags and a thermos, her apron still tied around her waist — probably straight from the diner. "Jim's still recovering, sweetheart. Keep your voice down."
Maegan turned around with a pout. "Sorry, Mom."
Dean stood up, scratching the back of his head. "It's fine. She just caught me by surprise, that's all."
Lauren gave him a small, tired smile. "Seems like she's not the only one. You look like you've been through hell, Dean."
"You're not wrong," he said with a small chuckle.
She placed the bags on the table near the cot. "I brought some food from the diner. Boyd said everyone's been running around all day and probably hasn't eaten properly."
Kristi smiled gratefully as she wiped her hands. "You're a lifesaver."
Dean's stomach growled at the scent, and he laughed under his breath. "Guess I can't argue with that. Smells like heaven."
Lauren poured him a cup of coffee from the thermos and handed it over. "You look like you need this more than anyone."
He accepted it with a nod. "You have no idea."
Maegan climbed onto the chair beside him, watching as her mom handed food around. "So… after lunch, we play?" she whispered, hopeful, unsure.
Dean chuckled, taking a sip of the coffee. "After lunch," he confirmed. "I'm not breaking two promises in a row."
For the first time that day, the room didn't feel so heavy. There was laughter, quiet conversation, and the sound of clinking dishes — simple things, but enough to push back the tension that had hung over them since morning.
But even as Dean ate, his thoughts kept drifting back to the glowing quest window in his mind.
The creepy forest, the whispering trees, the faces in the bark.
The veil was thinning — whatever the fuck that was, he had only thirty days to figure out why.