Chapter 177

Aria

There’s literal fucking bones and human skulls all over the floor, and it’s seriously messing with my head. Like, what the actual fuck is this place? And the worst part? These bones don’t even look that old. They’re not ancient or dusty or decayed enough to be forgotten relics. They look… recent, fresh even, and that makes my skin crawl.

“What the hell’s going on? Why are there skulls here?” Lucas asks, eyes narrowing as he turns to Shiva. Her face doesn’t give away shit though, like she’s trying real hard to keep her thoughts to herself.

“Maybe… maybe they got into a fight or something,” Mark offers, just shrugging like that explains anything.

Lucas shoots him a look like he’s lost his damn mind. “Yeah… no. That doesn’t make any sense, Mark. This isn’t some brawl gone wrong. This looks like a fucking slaughter. Like a planned, calculated one.”

“I think Lucas is right,” I say, pointing toward a cluster of broken lanterns tossed around on the