The pale silver light of dawn brought no relief.
It brought fog.
A suffocating, unnatural fog that rolled off the ocean like a living thing and swallowed the watchtower whole.
Inside the lookout room, the world had lost its shape.
Marcus lay sprawled across the cold concrete floor. The empty black vial slipped from his trembling fingers and rolled away, clattering into the darkness.
The doctor’s medicine had stopped the bleeding.
But it had done something terrible to his mind.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
It tasted faintly of copper.
His heartbeat slammed against his ribs.
Then—
The floor vibrated.
A deep tremor rolled beneath him.
The ancient tower groaned.
Stone scraped against stone.
A sound so low and violent it felt less heard than felt.
Marcus blinked.
His vision frac
