The fog thickened, swallowing their silhouettes one by one. They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes without a clear direction. Their legs were growing heavy, their breathing was labored, and the muddy ground made every step feel harder.
"Let's stop for a moment…" Hana finally spoke up. She was supporting a girl who had been limping the whole time. "If we keep going like this, she won't make it."
Raven turned her head. Her gaze swept over the group, who were starting to show signs of exhaustion.
"We can't stop for too long."
"Then where are we going?" Theo asked. "We don't even know which path to take."
Raven was about to answer, but her gaze suddenly fixed on something among the trees.
A large rock formation loomed faintly behind the fog.
Raven narrowed her eyes.
"Wait a second."
He took a few steps forward, then stopped in front of a dark crevice hidden behind the rocks.
"A cave," he muttered.
The others immediately gathered around.
The cave's entrance was much larger than it had appeared from a distance. It was wide enough for several people to pass through at once, while the stone ceiling soared high and vanished into the darkness. Several tree roots dangled from above, and a thin stream of water trickled between the rocks on the floor.
From inside, a chill breeze wafted out, carrying the scent of damp earth and something faintly reminiscent of moss.
Karin peered inside hesitantly.
"It looks deep."
"That's exactly what we need," Raven replied. "But don't all go in at once."
She turned to a few students.
"The three of you come with me. Let's check it out first."
"What?" One of the students pointed at himself. "Why us?"
"Because if there's something inside, it's better to find out now than after everyone's gone in."
No one argued after hearing that.
Raven turned on her flashlight and stepped inside with the three other students. The white light swept along the stone walls, revealing a passageway that turned out to be much wider than they had expected.
After a few meters, the passageway opened up into a large chamber.
Raven stopped.
The flashlight's beam swept around the room.
"It's truly amazing…" one of the students whispered without realizing it.
The chamber was large enough to accommodate their entire group. The ceiling was so high that even the flashlight's beam couldn't reach the very top. On the left was another passage leading deeper down, while on the right was a rocky recess forming a narrow, shelter-like space.
There were no signs of humans or threatening animals inside.
Only the sound of dripping water could be heard repeatedly from the distance.
Raven raised his hand.
"Wait."
They all stopped.
Raven turned off his flashlight.
Darkness immediately engulfed them.
For a few seconds, nothing could be heard except their own breathing.
No growling.
No footsteps.
Finally, Raven turned her flashlight back on.
"Looks safe."
She turned toward the entrance.
"Call the others. Let's go in."
The group immediately set off. One by one, they entered the cave, some still glancing back to make sure no shadows were emerging from behind the fog.
Once everyone was inside, Theo, Kyle, and a few other students began shifting large boulders closer to the cave's entrance. They didn't block it completely; they just made it look like an ordinary crevice from the outside.
At least, for now, they had a place to hide.
As soon as everyone sat down, silence fell once more. But this time, the silence felt different. There was no longer the panic from before. All that remained was exhaustion, fear, and a sense of vigilance that kept everyone from ever truly feeling safe.
Some students leaned against the rock wall, hugging their knees. Others were busy checking the belongings they'd managed to bring from the bus. Some were crying quietly, while others simply bowed their heads in prayer.
In one corner, a girl covered her mouth before finally vomiting. The smell of blood and wet earth still clinging to their clothes was too strong to bear.
Raven sat a little apart from the others. Her back was against the stone wall, while her gaze occasionally drifted toward the pile of rocks at the cave's entrance.
He didn't know if those people were still chasing them, but it was precisely that uncertainty that kept him from feeling at ease.
For a few moments, no one spoke. They simply sat in silence, illuminated only by the light of flashlights and the screens of cell phones still glowing in the hands of some of the students.
Finally, a soft voice came from one corner.
"So… do we really have no idea where this place is?"
No one answered.
Another student let out a short laugh, but it sounded more like an attempt to suppress his fear.
"How could we possibly know? We were still on the road just a moment ago."
"And now we're in the middle of the forest, being chased by a group of people."
That last sentence made everyone fall silent again.
A girl hugged her knees even tighter.
"They even kill people without hesitation..."
"And they can run faster than a bus."
"It's not just that," someone chimed in from the back. "The spears they threw earlier..."
He stopped.
Everyone still remembered the sound of the explosion.
The first bus had crashed.
Raven himself sat leaning against the cave wall, his gaze fixed on the cave entrance, which was blocked by rocks. He didn't join the conversation.
But it was precisely his silence that made someone take notice of him.
A student suddenly looked up.
"Wait..."
Several people turned their heads.
"Doesn't Raven know something?"
Silence fell once more.
A student stared at Raven with furrowed brows.
"Yeah. I remember it clearly… he suddenly yelled and told the driver to turn back."
Another student replied softly, "And not long after that, the driver actually died."
Whispers began to spread among them.
"How could he have known?"
"Isn't that strange?"
"Maybe he really did know something..."
Kyle immediately clenched his fist. "Hey, you guys—"
A hand held his arm back.
"Not yet," Karin whispered.
Kyle turned his head, but Karin was still staring at Raven. So was Lisa, sitting next to her. Even they themselves didn't know what to think.
Raven lowered her head. Her fingers slowly clenched into fists.
She really did know.
Or at least… her body knew something her mind couldn't comprehend.
Ever since waking up from that dream, everything had felt different. She could sense danger before she saw it. She could feel a strange aura lurking behind the fog. And when that man raised his spear, Raven's body seemed to react before her mind could.
But how could she explain all that to them?
She didn't even understand what was happening to her.
"Raven..."
Someone called out again.
"You actually know something, don't you?"
Raven slowly lifted her face; several pairs of eyes were now fixed on her.
Before he could answer…
"Stop!"
Hana's voice cut off the conversation.
All heads turned.
Hana was already standing. Her face was still pale, but this time her gaze was firm.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I-it's not like that, Hana. But how could he possibly—"
"Enough."
Hana stepped forward.
"You guys don't know what happened either. So don't accuse Raven as if he's the cause of all this."
"We're not accusing him, we're just—"
"Just what?"
Hana stared at him.
"She warned you earlier, didn't she?"
No one answered.
"She even yelled at the driver to turn back. But what did you do at that moment?"
Hana's gaze swept over them one by one.
"You just laughed at her."
Several students immediately lowered their heads.
"Some of you even said she was just seeking attention."
Hana's voice began to tremble—not out of fear, but from holding back her emotions.
"Now that what she said has actually come true, you're standing here questioning her?"
One of the students who had spoken earlier opened his mouth.
"But… what if he really does know something?"
Hana fell silent for a moment.
"If he knows, then what?"
The student couldn't answer.
"He still warned us, didn't he?"
Hana turned toward Raven.
Her expression shifted slightly when she saw the young man still sitting quietly with his head bowed. There was a worry she'd been holding back all along, especially after seeing Raven shout on the bus and then stand in the middle of the fog as if his body were responding to something no one else could see.
She'd known Raven for a long time.
Ever since she was a child, Hana had known exactly how that young man behaved. She knew when Raven was truly joking, when he was angry, and most importantly, when Raven was hiding something.
She had seen Raven lose control like that before.
It wasn't because of pain.
But because of something far worse.
Back then, Hana herself had made a decision that ultimately strained their relationship. From that day on, she promised herself she wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
And now, seeing Raven sitting alone with an unreadable expression, Hana was reminded of that promise once again.
"The Raven of today needs someone to stand by his side."
Hana looked back at the student.
"If Raven says something's wrong, I'd rather believe her than question her."
Her tone was firm.
"Isn't that better than losing someone else?"
That last sentence brought silence back to the room.
Hana took a deep breath.
"We're all afraid. But don't let that fear control us. As Raven said before, we still have reasons to keep living. So, now let's think about how we can survive."
Her hands slowly clenched into fists at her sides.
"But if we start suspecting each other just because we don't understand what's happening, we won't last long."
No one argued.
Some students bowed their heads. Others exchanged glances, slowly realizing that they really had no reason to blame Raven.
However, Hana's spontaneous reaction took many people by surprise.
The Hana they knew was usually graceful, friendly, and almost always spoke softly. Even when turning someone down, she did so politely.
But the girl standing before them now felt different.
Kyle, Lisa, and Karin simply looked at one another.
They all knew Hana.
And they knew that she was truly angry right now.
Hana finally returned to her seat and sat not far from Raven. She didn't say a word. For a few moments, the two of them just sat in silence.
Raven glanced at her.
"Thank you, Hana."
She gave a slight nod.
But as soon as she heard those words, Hana immediately lowered her head. Both hands were wrapped around her knees, her fingers clenching the hem of her cardigan.
Whether it was due to lingering emotions or Raven's recent words, her face slowly flushed all the way to her ears.
Luckily, Raven didn't notice for too long.
She leaned her head back against the wall again.
For the first time since they'd arrived there, her heart felt a little lighter. Not far from them, Kevin watched the two of them in silence.
His gaze shifted from Raven to Hana.
He was still taken aback by the side of Hana that had just emerged. Up until now, he'd only known Hana as a gentle, aloof girl.
But the way Hana had defended Raven just now...
It made Kevin lower his gaze.
There was something weighing heavily on his chest.
"If I were in that position..."
He glanced at Hana once more.
"Would she defend me the same way?"