The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth as we continued our hike. My mom’s coughs had worsened, each one shaking her frame more violently than the last. I wanted to stop, to tell her we could turn back, but I knew she wouldn’t. She was stubborn always had been.

  “Mom, you should rest. We’ll set up camp here,” I said, my voice tight with concern.

  She smiled, soft but strained. “I’m fine, honey. You three go ahead. I’ll catch my breath and start setting things up.”

  Before I could argue, Rex chimed in, concern etched on his face. “Let me stay and help you, Mom.”

  But she shook her head. “Rex, you’re the oldest. Keep your brothers company, okay? I’ve taken my meds. Don’t worry. Now go fetch us dinner. I’m so hungry, I might just eat you all alive,” she joked with a tired chuckle.

  Despite everything, we managed small smiles. I wanted to insist, to stay behind, but the look in her eyes equal parts love and resolve told me there was no changing her mind.

  Calix stepped in to break the tension. “We’ll scout for an hour. If we don’t find anything, we’ll come back. We’ve got canned food anyway. Just don’t push yourself, Mom.”

  She nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Okay, safe hunting, you guys. I love you, dearest... get it? Dear. Rest. Hehe.”

  Her laugh was light, but her eyes looked so, so tired.

  We gave her one last glance before heading into the woods. The forest swallowed us quickly, its sounds rising to meet us rustling leaves, creaking branches, the occasional birdcall.

  Rex broke the silence first. “Hey, Hendrix, do you even know which direction you’re walking in?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not lost. Just making sure you two don’t get eaten by a squirrel or something.”

  Calix laughed, resting his hand on the bow across his shoulder. “Relax, Rex. Hendrix has it. You’re just salty he didn’t take your bait.”

  “Bait?” Rex snorted. “He’s just busy watching his own feet.”

  “If you think you can do better,” I muttered, “feel free to lead.”

  Calix nudged me playfully. “Ignore him. He’s just trying to feel useful.”

  Rex shot him a playful glare but stayed quiet, scanning the trees. The woods were starting to shift. The trees thinned, shadows stretched longer. The golden light was fading fast.

  I could feel the temperature drop night was coming.

  After about thirty minutes, Rex’s voice softened. “Don’t worry too much about Mom. She’s stronger than she looks. Just… probably tired.”

  I wanted to believe him. But the image of her, sitting alone and coughing, stuck with me like a splinter.

  Calix, sensing the weight in the air, spoke up. “Remember those hikes when we were kids? Mom always pushed us to keep going, even when we were dead on our feet. She’d still cook dinner over a fire like it was nothing. That woman’s a machine.”

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  Rex and I shared a brief look. Calix was right. Mom had always been indestructible in our eyes.

  Still… something didn’t feel right.

  Then rustling.

  We froze. Our eyes locked on the bushes.

  A deer stepped out. Graceful. Oblivious. The perfect opportunity.

  My heart raced. I reached for my bow, drew the string, and nocked an arrow.

  “Easy,” Calix whispered. “Let Hendrix take it.”

  I nodded, breath shallow, gaze locked. The deer grazed peacefully, its ears twitching in the cool air.

  I held my breath then,

  Suddenly a shrill, distorted scream tore through the forest.

  “ARRHHRTW TWBTW!”

  It sounded unnatural, almost alien. The shock of it made my arrow miss its mark, the deer bolting into the trees, vanishing before our eyes.

  Without thinking, I snapped my head in the direction of the scream. It came from where we had left Mom, the sound unmistakable in its urgency.

  "Mom!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.

  Rex cursed under his breath, already sprinting toward the sound. "It's her! We've got to move!"

  "Stay focused!" Calix shouted, but I could hear the concern in his voice too. We broke into a run, pushing ourselves faster, the trees and underbrush a blur as we moved through the forest.

  As we ran, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. My eyes darted to the shadows around us. There was movement in the trees. A flash of something no, someone moving quickly, silently, through the foliage. My heart raced even faster, but I forced myself to focus. Mom. We had to get to her.

  The shriek echoed in my ears, and I knew we were getting closer. I gritted my teeth and ran harder, blocking out the unease creeping into my mind. Whatever was out there, I had to get to my mother first. Everything else could wait.

  "Stay sharp," Calix said, his voice grim as we pushed forward, the sound of our footsteps pounding in the air.

  "Mom's waiting for us," Rex added, his voice cutting through the tension.

  I nodded, determination flooding my veins. Whatever danger was ahead, I wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

  We burst into the clearing, our lungs burning from the sprint, only to be met with a scene that stopped us cold. The campsite was in ruins gear scattered across the ground, tents shredded, and cooking equipment flung as if by some invisible force. The dying campfire flickered weakly, casting a sickly orange glow over the wreckage.

  Then I saw it a pool of blood. Dark. Thick. Seeping into the dirt.

  My breath hitched. Panic clawed at my chest.

  “Mom!” I cried out, my voice cracking. “Mom, where are you?!”

  No answer.

  Rex was already tearing through the debris, flinging aside broken packs and upturned chairs. “She’s got to be here!” he shouted, frantic.

  Calix darted to the far side of the clearing, scanning the brush, calling her name. I followed, my steps uneven, heart hammering in my ears. My fingers trembled as I tossed aside a burned blanket, a kettle, anything that might be hiding her.

  “Check the perimeter!” Calix barked. “She might’ve run!”

  I pushed past a fallen branch and nearly slipped on the blood. It was fresh.

  “Over here!” Calix called, holding up a torn scrap of fabric caught on a low branch. The color drained from my face. It was hers a piece of her jacket, soaked red.

  Then, from the trees behind us, something erupted.

  A massive shape lunged out from the shadows, moving with terrifying speed. The moonlight caught its form for the briefest moment long, spindly limbs that skittered like a spider’s, a body grotesque and contorted beyond reason.

  It slammed into Rex with a deafening impact, driving him to the ground. He let out a choked cry, struggling beneath the thing’s weight.

  “Rex!” Calix screamed, lunging forward.

  “Wait!” I grabbed his arm, stopping him just in time. “We don’t know what it is!”

  But the creature turned, its body jerking with unnatural movements, something vaguely human in its posture too vaguely. There was a horrible familiarity in the way it moved, the way it loomed over Rex, almost as if it knew us.

  Rex thrashed. “Don’t just stand there! HELP ME!”

  Calix pulled his bow, notched an arrow, fired the creature ducked. Too fast. Too smart.

  I reached for my own bow, but my hand shook. I couldn’t get a clean shot. My breath came in short, panicked gasps.

  The thing hissed, low and wet, as it pressed harder on Rex’s chest. The skittering sound of its limbs scraped against the ground like claws on stone.

  Where was Mom?

  My vision blurred with terror. We had come too late. Something unnatural had reached her first.