The morning light crept in through the stained-glass windows, casting long, colored shadows across the ruined church. It was quiet—eerily so. But Egwene was the first to stir. Her body ached from exhaustion, and the night had been filled with too many unsettling sounds, leaving her barely able to sleep. But now, as the first rays of dawn lit up the church's decaying interior, she felt an unsettling pull to the outside.
She stood up carefully, trying not to disturb the others. The silence outside felt oppressive, like the world was holding its breath. Cautiously, she walked to the door, pushing it open just a crack.
What she saw made her heart drop.
There, spread out across the church grounds, were more monsters than she could count. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen before—grotesque, with scales that shimmered in the early sunlight, claws scraping against the ground, and eyes that seemed to glint with a malevolent hunger. They were moving in slow, steady circles, patrolling the area as if they had already claimed this place as their own.
Shit. Egwene's heart raced as panic began to rise in her chest. She couldn't risk making any noise, but her instinct screamed at her to warn the others. Without a second thought, she slammed the door shut, the noise echoing in the quiet church.
"Everyone up!" she hissed, shaking Theron awake. "We've got company."
It took only moments for the others to stir, their eyes wide with confusion and fear. Lucian was the first to reach the door, peering through the crack to see the nightmare outside.
"We're surrounded," he whispered, his voice tight with disbelief. "There's no way out."
Panic began to surge as the reality of their situation sank in. The creatures were closing in. Their footsteps echoed closer. The survivors had barely been awake for an hour, but they were already running out of time.
Aurora grabbed a chair, pushing it against the door. "We need to barricade the windows, now!" she shouted. The group worked quickly, pushing anything they could find to block the doors and windows. Chairs, pews, old crates—all of it was used to fortify their fragile defenses.
But then came the sound that made their blood run cold.
A crash.
One of the stained-glass windows shattered, the large pieces of glass cascading to the floor like deadly shards. The creatures were inside.
A beast, its form twisted and unnatural, crawled through the jagged opening, its claws scraping against the stone as it entered. The survivors froze, their eyes wide with horror.
"They're inside!" Sophia gasped, backing away from the creature, her breath coming in shallow bursts. The group had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The monsters were closing in fast.
Without thinking, Egwene grabbed Auroras arm. "We can't stay here!" she screamed.
Lucian was already moving. "Run! The river! There's a boat by the river . It's our only chance."
Without another moment's hesitation, they ran. They dashed past the pews, hurdling over debris as the monsters' growls grew louder, closer. The sound of their heavy footfalls was deafening, and the air seemed to grow thicker with every second.
As they burst through the church's back door, the sight of the river ahead felt like a distant dream—a flicker of hope in a world that had been swallowed by chaos.
The boat was there, just as Lucian had said, an old, battered vessel tied loosely to the dock. The survivors didn't hesitate. They ran toward it, adrenaline pumping through their veins. But as they reached the edge of the river, they paused for a split second.
The creatures hadn't followed them all the way to the dock. They stopped just shy of the water, pacing along the riverbank, growling low in their throats.
"They… they won't come any closer," Aurora breathed, her voice filled with disbelief. She glanced at Lucian, her heart pounding. "What does this mean?"
Theron stared at the monsters, a sudden realization dawning on him. "They can't swim," he muttered. His voice was hoarse, but there was relief in it. "They're afraid of the water."
The monsters snarled from a distance, but none of them dared to approach the river. Their eerie, predatory gazes never left the survivors, but they remained on the bank, helpless to follow.
For the first time since they had arrived at the church, the survivors let out a collective breath. They had made it to the water's edge. They had found a safe place—for now.
"Get in the boat," Lucian barked, already untethering the ropes. His hands were shaking, but he worked quickly, his mind focused only on getting them away from the danger. "We can't stay here. Not for long."
The group scrambled into the boat, each of them taking their place with frantic urgency. The creatures were still there, pacing the riverbank, watching them with unblinking eyes.
Aurora pushed the boat off the dock, her eyes never leaving the monsters. "Do you think they'll follow us?"
"No," Theron said, a grim determination in his eyes. "They can't swim."
With a swift motion, they rowed away from the shore, the boat cutting through the water. The monsters on the bank stayed put, their growls filling the air as the survivors pulled farther away.
As they drifted down the river, the reality of their situation set in. They were safe—for now. But the world around them had changed forever, and no place would ever feel completely safe again.
They had escaped the monsters' reach, but the danger was still out there, waiting for them in every shadow. And the river, though it had given them a brief reprieve, was just the beginning of their long journey ahead.