The sky stretched out above them, an endless expanse of velvet black speckled with faint, trembling stars. The cold night air clung to their skin, sharp and biting after the oppressive heat and suffocating darkness of the tower. They had made it out alive, but the silence that hung over their small camp felt heavy, thick with unspoken fears and lingering shadows.
The group had set up an impromptu camp near the base of the tower’s ruins, far enough from the crumbling structure to feel somewhat safe but close enough to still see its twisted silhouette jutting into the night sky. A faint orange glow still lingered on the horizon, remnants of whatever ancient energy had been stirred within those cursed walls.
Caroline sat apart from the others, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapp
