Chapter 109: Grace: At the Campground

"This is it," I say, pointing through the windshield as we pull into the campsite. Lyre’s fifth-wheel camper sits right where we left it, nestled against the backdrop of beautiful woods.

When we pulled in the first time, it looked beautiful and free.

Today, it looks... ominous.

Perspective is everything, I guess.

"Is something wrong?" Caine asks, his voice rumbling through the truck. The kids are all quiet, even Bun. They understand danger in ways no child should.

I shake my head, but the skin at the nape of my neck prickles. "It looks fine."

But it doesn’t feel fine.

The camper sits undisturbed. No broken windows. No kicked-in door. Not a single sign of intrusion. And yet... something heavy hangs in the air. A pressure against my chest. A whisper just beyond hearing. My fingers twist into the fabric of my jeans.

"Let’s get the kids inside," Caine says, steel-eyed as he scans the tree line. He’s felt it too. Or he’s just naturally suspicious.

"Finally!" Jer mumbles, unbuckling himself from the middle seat and following me out the door. "I have to pee so bad my eyeballs are floating."

Okay, maybe they aren’t as freaked out as I thought they were.

"Gross," Sara mutters as she slides out of the back. Her red eyes dart toward the camper with undisguised relief; she’s definitely more tense than the younger boy.

Ron, of course, is as teenage-stoic as ever as he grabs Bun and hops down.

"Careful, guys. Stay close."

"We know," Sara and Jer chorus. They’re already beelining for the camper door.

Jer reaches it first, yanking the handle.

Nothing happens.

whines, dancing from foot

on," I say, digging in my pocket for the

him

The

me," Sara pushes forward, her braid swinging as she grabs the handle and rattles it with surprising force for

the wrong key?" Ron suggests, shifting Bun

this is

steps forward, adjusting Bun on

the handle, yanking with more strength than either of the younger kids could muster. Nothing. The door remains stubbornly shut, like

Before I can stop her, she starts

I start, but the look on her face stops me. It’s cute, with

mind. Keep

and I glance around. No one’s outside, no one’s watching, but it

Not right.

way," I order the kids, who all back up

my back. The prickling sensation isn’t unpleasant—it’s almost grounding compared to the creeping unease trailing me all

key tight, my knuckles turning white. Another deep breath,

handle gives under my palm, and the door swings open with

just stuck," I say, trying to sound casual while

inside, the familiar space of Lyre’s camper greeting me—cozy bohemian fabrics, the faint smell of incense, colorful glass bottles catching the afternoon light. But the air’s too still

been, like, two

feelings are all overly dramatized because of the dread. That’s

I’ve become paranoid.

use the bathroom first," I

isn’t following me in. He stands frozen

"I can’t," he says.

I point toward the back of the camper. There are actually two of them, but I figure Lyre

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