NineteenHeronveld lay still in the murky daylight. No animals strayed close to the village anymore. They had given up their warm refuges, never to return. Certainly not until it was safe. The new residents seemed to give off a toxic aroma that kept all away. Even the spirits in the forest kept their distance, aware of the evil that now resided in the clearing. In the former Bathurst's home, Elias lay stretched out on a lumpy bed. His arms behind his head. Eyes closed, his breathing light. Across the clearing in another home, Eddie lay next to Karaa, their hands touching as they slept. A smaller cabin sat at the far end of the village. The forest seemed to be reaching over the fence to claim it. In the back bedroom, Hagen and Beth lay entwined. Beth muttered in her sleep, her lips caked in
