Chapter 129
Elara's POV
The forest swallowed us whole within ten minutes.
I walked near the back of the line, Cole a few paces behind me. My boots found solid ground automatically while my eyes tracked everything else—the way Tina's designer pack sat wrong on her shoulders, how Greg kept checking his phone even though there was no signal, the twins laughing too loud for a place this quiet.
Kress led from the front, his movements efficient. Professional.
But the six college students between us moved like they were on a nature documentary set, not actually in the wilderness.
"God, this thing weighs a ton." Tina shifted her pack for the third time in as many minutes. Her voice carried through the trees. "How much farther to the first rest stop?"
Kress didn't turn around. "We've been walking twelve minutes."
Linda laughed, but it sounded strained. "Tina's just not used to carrying her own bags."
"Shut up." Tina's tone had an edge now.
I kept my face neutral. Watched how quickly the cracks were showing.
The terrain wasn't even difficult yet—just a gradual incline on a maintained trail. But already Tina was breathing hard. Greg's glasses kept slipping down his nose from sweat. The twins had stopped joking and were focused on not tripping over roots.
Only Luke seemed comfortable. He moved with the kind of easy confidence that came from actual experience, not expensive gear.
My fingers brushed the knife hidden at my hip. A habit. Checking.
Cole caught my eye. A brief look that said he was cataloging the same weaknesses I was.
These people had no idea what they'd walked into.
And I'd let them come anyway.
The guilt sat heavy in my chest, but I pushed it down. I needed this cover. Needed to reach the area where Lynette had been seen.
Where she might still be running.
The path narrowed. Single file now.
I ended up between one of the twins—Zack, I thought—and Cole. The twin kept turning around to talk to his brother, forcing me to stop and wait each time.
"Dude, can you believe we're actually doing this?" Zack's grin was wide. Excited. "This is going to look insane on our feeds once we get back to civilization."
His brother—Sass—laughed. "If Tina doesn't murder Kress first for making her walk this far."
They had no idea what murder actually looked like.
I'd seen it three days ago. Maya's bruises. The blood on that warehouse floor.
My jaw tightened.
"You okay?" Cole's voice was quiet behind me. Pitched so only I could hear.
I nodded without turning around.
But I wasn't okay. Every minute we spent playing this charade was another minute Lynette was out there alone. Hunted.
In a body that couldn't shift. Couldn't heal fast. Couldn't defend itself the way it should.
The same body I'd abandoned when I died.
My nails dug into my palms.
The sun climbed higher. What had started as a gentle incline became a relentless upward grind.
Two hours in, Tina stopped complaining and just focused on breathing. Greg's face was red and sweaty. Even the twins had gone quiet.
By the time Kress finally raised his hand to signal a stop, we'd been walking for nearly three hours.
We stopped for lunch in a small clearing. Kress chose a flat area near a fallen log and dropped his pack with practiced ease.
"Fifteen minutes," he announced. "Eat something. Drink water. Use the bathroom now if you need to."
Tina collapsed dramatically onto the log. "I'm dying. Actually dying."
"You're fine." Linda sat next to her, snapping photos to post later, ignoring the lack of service.
The twins dumped their packs and immediately started unpacking their camping stove setup. Sass pulled out what looked like a full set of non-stick cookware.
"We brought instant ramen," Zack said proudly. "The good kind. From that Asian market."
Greg was methodically laying out his supplies. I counted three different types of pain medication, a full first aid kit that could stock a small clinic, and something that looked like a portable water purification system.
"Always be prepared," he said when he caught me looking.
I pulled a protein bar from my jacket pocket. Unwrapped it. Ate mechanically.
Cole did the same, sitting on a rock a few feet away. We'd arrived together—Kress knew we were a pair—but we kept our distance. Acted like casual acquaintances, not partners with a shared mission.
But I could feel his attention. The way he was monitoring the same things I was.
Tina's gaze landed on my protein bar. "That's all you brought? For a seven-day trip?"
"I have enough." I kept my voice mild.
"In that tiny pack?" Linda looked skeptical.
I didn't answer. Let them think whatever they wanted.
Luke was the only one not unpacking elaborate gear. He had trail mix and a water bottle. Simple. Smart.
Our eyes met briefly. He nodded, a small gesture of acknowledgment.
Then Tina was talking again, something about Instagram angles, and the moment passed.
I finished my bar. Drank water. Watched Kress watching all of us.
His expression was carefully neutral, but I caught the way his jaw tightened when Sass asked if they could make coffee. The slight shake of his head when Greg suggested they could "totally purify stream water if we run out."
These people were going to get themselves killed.
And I was going to be the reason they were here when it happened.
---
"So, Kress." Zack settled onto the ground, ramen cup in hand. "Cole said you've done this for years. What's the craziest thing you've ever seen out here?"
Kress's shoulders tensed. Just slightly.
"Wildlife, mostly," he said. His tone made it clear the subject was closed.
But Sass leaned forward. "Come on, there's got to be something. A bear attack? Someone getting lost?"
"Yeah, give us the good stuff." Zack grinned. "We signed those waivers. We can handle it."
Kress was quiet for a long moment.
The forest sounds filled the space—birds, wind in the trees, the distant sound of water.
Then he sighed.
"There was an incident," he said slowly. "Few days back. Another expedition group went into the deeper sections."
My pulse kicked up. I kept my face blank.
"What happened?" Luke asked. His voice was level, genuinely curious rather than thrill-seeking like the twins.
Kress's eyes were distant. "Three people went in. Only two came back."
The clearing went quiet.
Even Tina stopped scrolling through her photos.
"What happened to the third person?" Greg's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Don't know." Kress's jaw worked. "Preliminary statement said probable bear attack. The two who made it out were pretty shaken up. Didn't give many details."
He was lying.
Not about the incident. But about the details.
I could see it in the way his gaze slid away, the tension in his shoulders.
"But?" I heard myself ask.
Everyone turned to look at me. I'd been so quiet until now.
Kress met my eyes. Something flickered in his expression.
"But," he said carefully, "the two who came back said something different. Before the official report."
"What did they say?" My voice was steady. Curious but not desperate.
Please. Please say it.
Kress was quiet for another beat.
Then: "They said they saw someone being chased. A young woman. Running through the trees like something was hunting her."
My heart stopped.
Then started again, too fast.
Lynette.
It had to be.
"Holy shit," Sass breathed. "Like a serial killer? In the woods?"
"That's insane." Tina looked both horrified and excited. "Did they catch whoever was chasing her?"
Kress shook his head. "Don't know. After they gave their initial statement, things got... complicated. The area was declared off-limits. Investigation ongoing."
"What happened to the girl?" I asked. My throat was tight.
The question came out too intense. Too raw.
I saw Cole shift in my peripheral vision. A warning.
I forced myself to breathe. To look merely curious like everyone else.
Kress's eyes stayed on me for a moment too long.
"Don't know," he said finally. "The witnesses lost sight of her. She ran deeper into the forest. That section is restricted now."
"Where?" The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
Kress's expression shifted. Assessing.
"Where what?"
I swallowed. Made myself sound casual. "Where did this happen? I just... want to make sure we're not going anywhere near there."
Smart. Good recovery.
Kress studied me for another moment.
Then he turned and pointed deeper into the forest. Northeast. Toward the dense treeline where the maintained trail disappeared into true wilderness.
"That direction," he said. "About eight miles in. Past where we're setting up camp tonight."