The Arizona desert stretched out in front of them like a sea of sand and rock. The sun blazed overhead, relentless in its heat, but for Nathan, the warmth of the day felt distant. His focus was on the land around him, every sound, every movement. His heightened senses picked up on everything, and right now, they screamed of danger.
The trio had been walking for hours, the dry air turning their throats to sandpaper. Nathan's thoughts had been on edge ever since the sudden shift in the atmosphere—the feeling that something was stalking them. He'd tried to push it aside, but it only grew stronger the farther they went.
“Stay close,” Nathan said, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes scanned the rocky cliffside just above them, the shadows that lurked there.
Rory, who had been silently follo
