Silence followed the screams.
Not the empty kind—but the heavy, suffocating silence that pressed against the ears and made every breath feel too loud. BamBam's body still hung above them in memory, even after eyes had been forced away. No one dared look up again.
Sienna stood frozen, Camila's arm locked around her waist. They were both half-dressed, hair disheveled, skin pale—too exposed, too shaken, too obvious.
Eli was the first to break the quiet.
His voice was low, careful, but sharp enough to cut through the tension.
"Okay," he said slowly, eyes moving between the two girls, "maybe this isn't the best time—but someone's gonna ask eventually. What exactly were you two doing out here… like that?"
Naledi's gaze followed his, calculating, confused.
"You didn't just wander off to talk," she added. "Not dressed like this."
Sienna's throat closed. Her fingers trembled where they clutched Camila's sleeve.
Camila reacted instantly.
She straightened, lifting her chin, slipping back into the familiar armor of confidence.
"We were arguing," she said firmly. "About the pairing system. About Hunter. About everything. It got heated."
Her eyes flicked to Sienna—warning, pleading.
Sienna swallowed hard and nodded, though her chest felt like it might split open.
Before anyone could press further, Fletcher stepped forward.
"That's not what matters," he said, voice steady but edged with urgency. "Someone is dead. Someone killed him. Whatever happened between them isn't the threat."
His gaze swept the group.
"This forest is."
The truth of it settled like frost.
Camila exhaled shakily and leaned closer to Sienna, her lips brushing her ear.
"We can't do that again," she whispered. "Ever. Not here. Not now."
Sienna's heart sank—but she nodded.
"I know."
A sudden voice cut in, sharper than fear.
"Tracks."
Malik crouched near the soft earth, fingers hovering just above deep, uneven imprints pressed into the ground. His expression was grim.
"These aren't human," he said. "They're fresh. Heavy. Something big passed through here recently."
Darren moved closer, careful, eyes narrowing.
"How big?"
Malik didn't answer immediately.
Before he could, Hunter laughed—a harsh, humorless sound from where he sat apart from the group, arms resting on his knees.
"That," Hunter said, pointing lazily, "is a bear."
Everyone turned to him.
"I've hunted with my father since I was twelve," he continued, voice thick with bitter confidence. "Those claw marks, the weight distribution, the stride? That's a bear. Probably territorial. And probably still close."
Briony whimpered softly and grabbed Fletcher's arm, nails digging in as if anchoring herself to reality.
"I don't like this," she whispered.
Fletcher didn't pull away.
Darren straightened.
"Which is exactly why we stay together."
Hunter stood.
The movement alone sent a ripple through the group.
"I say we split up," he announced. "This many people moving together? We're slow. Loud. Easy prey."
Darren's jaw tightened.
"That's reckless. Separation is how people die."
Hunter smirked.
"Or how people survive."
Silence fell.
Ten seconds stretched unbearably long.
Then—one hand went up.
Another.
Then two more.
Strong-looking boys. A couple of frightened girls drawn to Hunter's confidence like moths to flame.
Camila hesitated.
Sienna reached for her hand.
"Cam—don't."
Camila looked torn. Then she gently pulled away.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on him," she said softly. "I won't be far. We'll meet again."
Naledi shook her head.
"This is a mistake."
Camila hugged them both, tight and lingering, her voice breaking just slightly.
"Be careful. Please."
Darren stepped forward one last time.
"Don't do this," he urged. "Strength without unity is just chaos."
Hunter didn't look back.
"Rest up," he called over his shoulder. "We move in a few hours."
And then they were gone—Hunter leading, more than half the group following him into the trees.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Those left behind stood in the thinning light—smaller now, quieter.
Ji Ace snapped a branch cleanly in half and began sharpening its end with ruthless focus. Malik joined her, already working on a crude spear. Fletcher watched the treeline. Eli stayed close to Naledi. Sienna hugged herself, staring at the ground where Camila had stood moments before.
Darren looked at them all.
They were no longer a class.
They were survivors—
and the night hadn't even begun.
----
The forest grew quieter after the split—too quiet, as though it were listening.
Those who remained clustered closer together, instinctively forming a smaller circle. The girls gravitated toward one another, drawn by fear and the need for warmth more than words.
Ji Ace sat on a fallen log, arms folded loosely, eyes distant. Briony lingered nearby, her white hair catching what little light filtered through the canopy, emerald eyes darting nervously at every sound. Sienna and Naledi stayed close, shoulders brushing, while Estrella hovered nearby, her tall frame tense, dark eyes dulled by exhaustion.
"I hate this," Estrella muttered quietly. "The silence makes it worse."
Naledi exhaled slowly. "Talking helps. Even if it's nonsense."
Sienna nodded, hugging her arms. "Anything but listening to the forest breathe."
Briony hesitated, then spoke, her voice softer than usual. "Ji Ace… you're famous, right? You sing."
Ji Ace looked up, surprised. "That's… not really relevant right now."
"But it could help," Estrella said gently. "Just for a bit. To calm everyone down."
The suggestion lingered.
Ji Ace's gaze drifted unconsciously—to Fletcher, who stood a short distance away with Darren and Malik, sharpening a makeshift spear. Fletcher looked up at the same moment.
Their eyes met.
Something unspoken passed between them—recognition, reassurance, a fragile thread of normalcy in the chaos.
Briony noticed.
She always did.
Ji Ace looked away first, then sighed. "Just one song."
She stood, brushing dirt from her clothes, closing her eyes briefly as if centering herself. When she began to sing, her voice was low, controlled—soft at first, then slowly filling the space between the trees.
It wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The melody drifted like a memory, gentle and aching, carrying warmth into the cold forest air. Even the wind seemed to still.
Naledi closed her eyes.
Sienna leaned subtly into her.
Estrella wiped at her face, pretending not to cry.
Fletcher paused his work, listening.
So did Darren.
Even Malik, usually analytical, let his shoulders relax.
Briony watched Ji Ace the entire time.
Not with jealousy—something more complicated.
Something thoughtful.
When the song ended, no one spoke for a long moment.
"…Thank you," Sienna whispered.
Ji Ace sat back down, suddenly shy. "Don't get used to it."
A few weak smiles surfaced.
For the first time since BamBam's death, the fear loosened its grip—just a little.
But Briony's gaze flicked once more between Ji Ace and Fletcher.
And whatever she saw there, she didn't like it.