The silence between Dylan and me could have swallowed the entire ravine. His presence was like a shadow itself—constant, unnerving, and impossible to ignore, no matter how hard I tried.
I adjusted the straps of my pack for the hundredth time, using the motion as a distraction from the oppressive fog curling at my ankles. “You’d think they’d send someone more… equipped for this,” I muttered under my breath, the damp air smothering my voice.
Dylan, walking ahead, didn’t even glance back. Of course not. He hadn’t said more than a handful of words to me since this hellish trek began, preferring to keep his focus on the shadowy trees and whatever ancient terrors awaited us. Typical.
Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath my boots, uneven and treacherous, and I stumbled, catching myself against
