Chapter 180

Aria

Shiva’s big plan is for us to carry Mark back to the creepy, skull-infested cabin while she heads out to find some herbs. I didn’t even catch the name of it. Something rare, obviously important, but at this point, it just sounds like more weird shit in this forest.

Mark’s stretched out on the worn-out couch, his breathing fast and shallow. Shiva managed to stop the bleeding before she left by tying up his side with a strip of her own jacket. It helped, but he still looks pale and barely hanging on.

“The rain finally stopped,” Lucas mutters from the window, holding the torch up as he peers outside. “But it’s still fucking dark out there.”

I watch him for a second as he steps away from the window and sinks into the chair beside it. He lets out a long, heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping like the weight of everything just caught up to him.

“Are you okay?” I ask from where I sit next to Mark, watching Lucas closely. He doesn’t look hurt anymore,