Sid POV

  “The mist is increasing” Naga’s voice was low but clear in the tight circle around the fire. The damp air pressed in, and the flames popped as they chewed through wet wood.

  “It’s getting colder too,” Aditi said, teeth chattering. Her breath fogged. She turned to Pallavi and asked, “Do you have an extra jacket?”

  Pallavi nodded and passed a spare overcoat from her backpack. She stepped closer to the fire and held her palms out to the heat.

  “Someone needs to stand guard while the rest sleep.” Naga locked eyes with each of them. “We’ll rotate in pairs.” The group nodded in agreement.

  “Three, maybe four shifts would work,” Mahesh said. “People with skills should take different shifts.” The undertone was that all three with skills should stand watch.

  “Let’s do four two-hour shifts,” Rohan said, counting off on his fingers. “Varun, Naga, and I will join. We need five more volunteers.”

  Sid leaned slightly toward Aditi. “Are you thinking of taking a shift?” his voice even but hopeful underneath.

  She gave a soft breath and raised her hand. “Yeah. I’ll help where I can.”

  A couple of hesitant hands went up, then two more. Someone cleared their throat.

  “Lauren, could you take one shift?” Naga glanced at the blonde woman.

  “Yes, I’ll join.” Lauren raised her hand halfway. “But can I take the last shift?” She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

  “Alright, Sid and Varun first, Aditi and I second, Naga and Imran third, Mahesh and Lauren last. Two hours each. Wake the next pair five minutes early. Any objections?” Rohan ticked pairs off on his fingers.

  “Okay, let’s get more firewood before it gets too dark,” Sid brushed the ash from his palms as he stepped out. Varun shook his head once and followed.

  People curled at the bases of trees, in groups of two or three. They settled quickly, using bags and roots as pillows, trading brief looks before pulling jackets tight.

  Sid and Varun took their spots by a trunk, shoulders almost touching. Varun rolled his neck and kept his eyes in the dark. Sid shifted his weight to reduce the crunch underfoot, ears working for anything past the crackle. I would kill for a cigarette now, Sid thought.

  “You like Aditi.” Varun’s tone was even, voiced more like a statement than a fact.

  Sid’s mouth opened, closed, then settled into a straight face. “No, what nonsense is that?”

  “Bro, I’ve known you for five years,” Varun said, a smirk forming. “You drop a clever line, then check the reflection to see if she smiled. The mirror trick—I taught you that.”

  Sid’s frown lingered, but the question slipped through. “Why does it matter now?”

  “Because you don’t need to play the hero,” Varun said. “Get skills. Survive. If you have to, walk away.”

  “Not my style,” Sid said. He drew his phone, kept it low, and let the screen light his palm, browsing aimlessly to mask his embarrassment.

  Rohan POV

  A while later, Varun nudged Rohan’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, I am awake,” Rohan mumbled.

  “It would be believable if you opened your eyes.” Varun pulled him up by the arms. Rohan blinked, irritation fading as he stood.

  Sid offered the bottle. “Wash your face.” He stepped to Aditi and said a quiet word. She pushed hair from her eyes, nodded once, and rose.

  “Keep the fire from dying.” Varun eased two sticks into the burning wood. He watched the flame take them and then backed off.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Sid and Varun slipped back toward their spots. Aditi and Rohan moved into position, shoulders squaring as the watch passed over. The group settled. The fire cracked, and the cold pressed in around the ring.

  “How are you dealing with all this?” Aditi hugged her elbows and edged closer to the fire, then angled toward Rohan.

  “Better to stand at the edge,” Rohan‘s gaze slid past the firelight to the darker line of trees. “It gives you a full view of everyone.”

  “I’m cold,” Aditi said as she came to his side. She leaned against him, light and testing. “Is this okay?”

  A little color touched Rohan’s cheeks, but he did not shift away. “Be alert. We do not want another ambush.” His jaws tightened at the thought of Allen, killed by the spider before he could react.

  Aditi nodded. Together they watched the trees, listening for any break in the hush between crackles of the fire.

  “I want to fight as well,” she said. “Could you help me get a skill tomorrow?”

  Rohan let out a thin laugh. “I wish we did not have to fight. That is not an option. I will help you after Sid. He has done a lot for us.” He glanced at her to be sure she heard the order, not a slight.

  “Thanks.” Aditi let her shoulder rest against his for a moment, then squared forward again. The quiet returned and stayed.

  Naga POV

  “We will take it from here. Get some rest,” Naga said as he came up. He thumbed his alarm silent and crouched next to Imran, the restaurant manager, and nudged him awake for the shift.

  Rohan watched him move with clipped efficiency. Ex-military, maybe, he wondered.

  Mist hung low over the leaf litter. The fire breathed and sank, coals ticking. Naga and Imran set themselves against a thick-barked trunk, shoulders offset to cover opposite angles.

  “Do not doze off.” Naga’s tone was steady as a metronome.

  Imran twitched at the reminder. “Sorry, boss.”

  “Good work with the boar earlier,” Naga’s voice loosened a notch. He checked Imran’s stance, his hand on the spear. He could make a solid subordinate if nurtured right, he thought.

  “Yeah, Boss. We can live on boar meat till the army comes,” Imran turned in to talk. Naga tapped his shoulder, pointing behind him, and Imran shifted back.

  “Maybe you’ll pick up a skill tomorrow.” Naga looked around the clearing. “Keep your eyes and ears open. Finish the watch, then rest.”

  Minutes stacked, and the mist thinned a little. Naga cupped his watch face with his palm, checked the minute hand, then moved to the sleepers.

  “Who are you?” Mahesh squinted at Naga, looking at him with a dazed expression.

  “Get up, man. It is your turn,” Imran said, shaking him by the shoulder, half amused and half annoyed.

  “You guys got the best shift. Keep watch of the surroundings while we get some shut-eye,” Naga said. He slid down the trunk and let his shoulders find the bark.

  “Where are you going?” Mahesh asked Imran.

  “Bunty took my spot. I will sleep by that tree,” Imran said, pointing toward a trunk near the clearing’s edge where the firelight fell to a dull smear.

  “That is too far,” Mahesh said, matching a step.

  “I can see it from here. No issue, boss,” Imran said, already fading into the dim beyond the fire’s reach.

  “Let him be,” Lauren said, edging closer to the fire. “Can you add more firewood?”

  Mahesh fed a single log and watched the sparks climb. “Last one. The fire will die before our shift is over,” he said, choosing to stay beside her rather than follow Imran.

  “How did you join up with these guys?” he turned to face her. “You don’t look to be from around here.”

  “I was at Naga’s office when this started.” Lauren’s words were steady, but her gaze stayed focused on the dark.

  “Oh, so you are his client,” said Mahesh.

  “No, we were trying to get his business…” Her answer broke as a scream tore through the quiet.

  Both snapped toward the sound. Two small figures streaked through the light and were gone in the trees. Isha, Yogesh’s friend, was already on her knees over him, hands locked at his neck as blood pressed through her fingers and pooled fast. Lauren found the breath for a second scream.

  The camp jolted awake at two blood-curdling cries. People scrambled up, half-blind with sleep.

  “You are okay, you are okay,” Rohan said, sliding in beside Isha. He pressed over her hands, steadying them. He checked Yogesh’s face, saw the focus leave his eyes, felt the pulse ebb.

  Isha bent over Yogesh and sobbed, shaking him. “Please. Please.”

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Aditi whispered. She and Pallavi braced Isha’s shoulders and eased her back. She glanced at the red soaked up to Isha’s forearms and swallowed.

  Mahesh folded to the ground, head between his knees. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault,” he kept repeating to himself.

  Sid turned away and retched, one hand braced on a root.

  Bunty rocked in place, voice low and even. Chanting prayers over and over, as if the rhythm could hold the fear back.

  “Where’s Imran?” Naga said, counting faces against the firelight.

  “There,” Varun said, pointing past the light. Imran lay a few meters out, sprawled in the damp leaves, a dark pool spreading under him.