Dawn came thin and colorless. The sky lightened without warmth, a dull gray bleeding slowly into the treetops. Fog clung low to the ground, curling around tents and vehicles like breath that refused to dissipate. Birds had begun to call, tentative and confused, as if the forest itself was testing whether it was still safe […]

Once the garage doors were shut, Wade finally let himself take a deep breath. The garage was dim now, lit mostly by a few dusty fluorescent lights overhead and the soft amber glow of the sun set sneaking through the two small windows set near the roofline. Wade squinted through the dust and fading light. […]

Wade kept moving. The city had changed in the span of minutes. Not in the way a storm gathered gradually on the horizon and gave you time to prepare. This was faster than that. One moment it had been traffic and horns and people leaning on steering wheels and cursing through open windows. The next […]

Vic screamed. Tony fired. The muzzle flash lit the room white-hot for an instant. The round punched through Rawlings’ skull, dropping him instantly. But the damage was done. And Vic, who had only tried to help, had paid the price. Vic fell backward, clutching his arm. Blood poured between his fingers. “No,” Veronica whispered. “Oh […]

They pulled the vehicles tight against the ranger station, metal kissing wood and concrete, headlights briefly flooding the trees before being cut one by one. Darkness rushed back in immediately, heavier now that they felt the danger lurking. The only lights outside the Ranger station were simple floodlights mounted over the front and rear doors. […]