Narrator

Pack up, he said, the smile gone.

Y'all ain't camping here.

Luke bristled.

You can't tell us where to... Glenn's gaze snapped to Luke's face.

We can, he said simply.

Tonight, we can.

Tessa's shoulders sagged a fraction, like she'd lost a fight she'd been trying not to start.

She turned to us.

Get your stuff, she said quietly.

Now, we packed like our hands were on fire.

No careful folding, no neat straps, just shove, cinch, lift.

The whole time I kept glancing at the trees across the creek, expecting that huge shape to reappear.

It didn't, but I felt watched.

Not like a spooky feeling, like a physical pressure, like eyes on the back of my neck.

When our packs were on, Glenn stepped aside, gesturing up trail.

"'Go,' he said.

Luke started to speak.

Tessa grabbed his sleeve and pulled him forward.

We walked away from that creek, away from the place where we'd seen something we couldn't explain, and met men who acted like they owned it."

We walked until the light started to fade and our legs burned.