They kept walking, the cold wind hitting their faces. The only sound was the crunch of boots sinking into deep snow—and the unshakable feeling that unseen eyes followed their every step.
The trees grew denser until they seemed less like trees and more like looming figures, watching in silence.
Vera paused and looked at the rest. "Why don't we set a fire here? I'm freezing. I can't even feel my fingers"
The group exchanged weary glances, torn. A fire meant warmth, maybe even safety—but it also meant slowing down, maybe even drawing whatever was out there closer.
The silence stretched, heavy with indecision. Finally Mason exhaled, his voice low and resigned.
"Fine. Let's set a fire. Gather branches—and make sure they're dry."
They scouted the small clearing, gathering fallen branches from the snow-dusted ground. Mason knelt, arranging a few rocks into a rough circle, forming a safe boundary for the fire. Inside, they stacked the branches carefully, layering them so the flames would catch.
Vera held the torch tight, her hands shaking from the cold. "Here goes," she muttered, pressing the flame to the dry wood. Smoke curled upward immediately, and sparks caught on the branches.
The fire flared, bright and warm against the frozen night. The orange glow lit their faces, casting long shadows across the snow and the dark forest beyond. For the first time in hours, they felt a flicker of relief—and a fragile sense of control.
_ _ _
The fire crackled to life, its warmth spilling into the frozen clearing. They huddled close, faces half-lit by the orange glow, steam rising from their damp clothes. For the first time since stepping into the wilderness, there was a small pocket of safety, even if it felt fragile.
For a moment, nobody spoke. The fire was the only sound, spitting and popping, as if mocking their silence.
Leo finally broke it, rubbing his hands close to the warmth. "You know… when we get out of this," he said, forcing a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, "first thing I'm doing is buying the biggest steak I can find. Real food. Not..." he paused too horrified to say it then he continued "not what we ate."
Mason let out a low grunt that might have been a laugh. "Steak, huh? I'd settle for a protein shake and a hot shower. Been too long since I had either."
Vera, her face lit in jagged orange, pulled her coat tighter around her. "I'll finish my film. Screw fake monsters—this place has given me all the inspiration I'll ever need."
Ivy's gaze lingered on the flames, unreadable. After a long pause, she murmured, "I'd… disappear for a while. Somewhere warm. Somewhere far away from mountains." She stopped herself, lips pressing thin, as if she'd revealed more than she wanted.
For a moment, the firelight painted them as ordinary people again—strangers stranded on a bad camping trip, daydreaming about warmth, food, and comfort.
But then Vera glanced past the firelight, into the treeline. Her smile faded.
"Do you think we'll actually find people out here? Anyone?" she asked quietly.
The hopeful spell broke. The crackle of the fire seemed too loud.
"Maybe," Leo said, forcing his grin to stay. "Cabins, rangers… someone's gotta be out here, right?"
"No one lives in these mountains," Mason muttered. His gaze stayed locked on the dark between the trees. "Not anymore. Not after the stories."
The silence thickened. Their breath rose in pale clouds, each one dissolving into the night.
That was when Leo frowned, leaning forward.
"Wait. Do you guys… see that?"
At first it was nothing—just the flicker of fire on snow. Then shapes seemed to move at the edge of the clearing, shadows stretching like tall figures.
Vera's hands tightened around her torch. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"They're not moving with the trees."
The air grew heavier, colder. The shadows swayed closer, but when Mason blinked, they were gone—just trees again, standing in silence.
Leo exhaled sharply.
"…I think I'm seeing things."
"Or we're all starting to," Vera murmured.
_ _ _
Silence fell between them, only the crackling of the fire and the cold wind through the trees. A sense of unease settled between them, making the silence heavy
Leo broke the silence in a serious tone "Listen… we need to be smart. These things—we've seen what they can do. They can mimic voices, twist our heads. Hell, I heard my sister's voice out there, and she's not here. Which means if one of us gets separated, we can't just go running after every sound."
The group stiffened at his words.
"So," Leo continued, leaning forward, firelight flickering in his eyes, "we set a word. Something none of those things would ever know. If you hear me call out, and I don't say that word, you don't come. And if one of us… you know, if one of us loses it, we'll at least know what's real and what's not."
Mason nodded slowly. "Makes sense. But it means trusting each other, fully. Which… we barely even know each other."
"Then let's fix that," Leo said firmly. "If we're gonna make it through this, we need to know each other better. Who we are. What we've got to lose. What we're fighting for. Just in case."
The fire popped, sparks rising into the blackness above. For the first time, the silence between them felt less like fear and more like possibility.
The others looked at each other, the flicker of the flames reflecting unease in their eyes.
Vera broke the silence, her tone sharp but purposeful.
"Then let's start with what Ellis knew. He brought us here because he studied us. He knew we'd make good prey for these creatures, every one of us. If we're going to survive, if one of those things tries to pretend to be us, we'll know the difference."
Leo started in an honest, vulnerable tone.
"I came here because I lost my sister years ago. She was only eight. One time she came to me and asked if I'd play with her in the garden. And I…" His voice breaks, a flash of self-loathing flickering in his eyes. "And I, being the stupid, irresponsible older brother, stayed behind and kept playing with my friends on my phone. I told her to go play by herself." He paused looking at the fire in a regretful gaze "*Which she did*. And from that day, I never saw her again."
He swallows hard, staring into the fire. "Since then, I promised myself I'd always be the one who makes children laugh. That's why I became a children's show host. Just to trick myself into believing I was making it up to her."
Leo took a deep breath, composing himself, then gestures gently toward Vera.
She leans forward, her eyes glinting in the firelight. "I'm an only child. My parents were… strict. Always saying they wanted to protect me from the dangers of the world." She paused, a bitter edge creeping into her tone, her lips curling with a hint of mockery. "Which they didn't do. They were the danger I needed protecting from. My dad was a manipulative man. My mom… she was always gaslighting me, convincing me they were my protectors. But I never believed her."
The mocking smile fades, her face hardening. "So when I turned eighteen, I moved away. I became a writer and director of horror movies—convincing myself that monsters hide in the shadows, unseen. But the truth is… humans are the most evil monsters in the world."
A silence settles over the group. The fire crackles, filling the void. Mason shifts uncomfortably, staring into the flames as though they might burn away his own thoughts. Ivy watches Vera closely, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharper than usual. Leo just nods slowly, as if he understands the weight behind her words more than anyone else.
Ivy asked in a curious tone, "You believe humans are the real monsters. But what about the things out there—the creatures that were chasing us?"
Vera's eyes flicked toward the dark forest beyond the firelight, voice steady and matter-of-fact. "Well… as we saw in Ellis's books, weren't they humans who starved in the cold and resorted to human flesh?"
A tense silence fell over the group. Leo swallowed hard, the firelight reflecting the mix of fear and understanding in his eyes. Mason's jaw tightened, fists unconsciously clenching at his sides. Ivy's gaze didn't waver, though a flicker of unease passed over her features. Even Leo couldn't help but glance toward the dark trees, imagining what might still be lurking there.