The mountains rose before us like jagged teeth, their peaks shrouded in mist, their slopes dense with ancient pines. We had been walking for six hours—six hours of climbing over fallen logs, wading through icy streams, and navigating terrain that seemed designed to slow our progress. My legs ached, my lungs burned, and the mark on my neck where Luke had bitten me throbbed with a dull, persistent pain.

But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Every step brought me closer to the shadow man, closer to answers, closer to ending this nightmare once and for all.

'You're pushing too hard,' Crystal warned. 'Your body needs rest.'

'My body needs...