The ground shook again.
Closer this time. Jin felt it come up through his boots and into his knees, a deep, heavy thud like something enormous hitting the earth. Somewhere beyond the tree line, wood cracked. A flock of birds burst up out of the forest all at once and scattered across the grey sky, screaming.
"That's near the school," Seul said.
Nobody needed to hear anything else.
They ran.
Jin went first, the katana already in his hand. Seul lifted off the road and flew low beside him. Haneul vanished into the long shadows under the trees. Echo kept pace in the middle, one hand pressed to his ear, listening. Areum and Sujin came behind, Sujin clutching her crate of seedlings to her chest like it was the most important thing in the world. Yerin ran with a hand around Yuna's wrist, pulling her along, her face pale and tight.
