By the end of the week, Gavin had the boys running like they were preparing for war.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he knew they didn't have a choice.
The confrontation with the Frostwalkers had escalated things. They weren't being hunted yet, but Gavin felt the shift in the air, the kind of shift predators made when they marked prey for later.
He didn't tell the boys this.
But Varik already sensed it.
"So we're sticking to tight routes?" he asked as he and Gavin trailed behind Lux.
"For now," Gavin said. "Same patterns. Fewer risks. No detours."
"Yeah, because our lives were so adventurous before," Varik muttered.
Lux glanced back at them. "Gavin? You think they'll try something big?"
"Maybe," Gavin said. "So pay attention."
They weren't heading for food today, only gear. Scraps they could use to reinforce their shelter before harsher winds rolled in. Clouds overhead looked heavier than usual, dark with the promise of an incoming freeze.
The boys climbed a set of tilted stairs leading up to an old walkway. Support beams groaned under their weight, but the structure held, barely. From this height, they could see deep into the maze of broken rooftops and narrow corridors below.
Lux paused near the edge, eyes drifting toward the brighter districts far away. "Think anyone up there ever looks down here?" he asked quietly.
"No," Varik said.
"Why would they?" Gavin added.
Lux didn't argue.
Varik knelt beside a rusted control box and pried it open. "Should have some insulated wiring," he said. "Maybe enough to fix that tear above your side of the tarp."
Gavin surveyed the area while Lux kept lookout, watching shadows with wide, alert eyes. He was getting better at it, Gavin noticed that.
The wind picked up, carrying a low metallic whistle. The walkway shifted slightly.
Lux shivered. Not from cold this time.
"Gavin…" he whispered. "Someone's over there."
A silhouette appeared two levels down, moving slow. Watching.
Not a guard.
Not a scavenger.
Someone else.
Something else.
Gavin motioned for silence. The figure paused, head tilted, almost curious, before turning and disappearing between two stacks of metal sheets.
"Did they see us?" Lux asked.
"Hard to tell," Gavin said.
"I don't like that," Varik muttered. "People who just watch never mean anything good."
"We're leaving," Gavin said. "We've got enough."
They descended the walkway quickly, staying alert. By the time they made it back to their shelter area, the wind had grown sharper, cutting through gaps and rattling thin metal walls.
Lux exhaled shakily once they were inside.
"Gavin… do you think it's connected? To my… thing?"
Gavin didn't answer immediately.
He didn't want to scare him.
He didn't want to lie either.
"Maybe," he finally said. "We stay calm, stay smart, and watch for patterns. You let me know the moment anything feels off."
Lux nodded. "Okay."
"Also," Varik said, leaning against the wall, "if someone's watching us, they're gonna try again. And next time, it won't be subtle."
Gavin agreed silently.
The world was closing in one angle at a time.
And something was paying attention.