The forest seemed to close in around them as they ran.
Obed's breathing was harsh and ragged, his muscles burning with the effort of carrying Nero's weight. Beside him, Lucy ran in silence, her face a mask of grief and rage. The mascara that had run down her cheeks now mixed with sweat and dirt, leaving dark streaks across her pale skin.
They didn't speak. There was nothing to say.
Behind them, the buzzing had faded to a distant drone, though whether that meant they had escaped or the swarm had simply found easier prey, Obed couldn't say. He didn't dare stop to check.
His mind raced as he ran, processing everything that had just happened in those few terrible minutes.
The Night Hornets were different. That much was obvious. But the implications of that difference made his blood run cold. Those creatures were not the same swarm they had encountered earlier.
Which meant these were a new breed. A different population entirely.
