TerraWorld~The Youngest One.. (#8)

Chapter 9

The cabin was quiet, with the sound of crickets chirping outside. Everyone was on edge, the weight of their situation pressing down on them like a heavy blanket. The team had split off into different parts of the cabin, each member trying to gather their thoughts.

Enna sat at the kitchen table, staring down at an open map, her fingers tracing the lines of the territories they had once protected. It all felt so far away now, like a distant memory.

Kevin walked in, his expression hard. "Any ideas where the shadows might strike next?" he asked, his tone clipped.

Enna didn't look up. "No," she replied. "I've gone over everything, but it's like they're waiting for something. It's driving me crazy."

"They always seem to be one step ahead," Kevin muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Well, we can't just sit here doing nothing," Violace said, entering the room with Violett close behind him. "We need to take the fight to them."

"Yeah, but where?" Violett added. "We don't have a damn clue where they're hiding."

Willow, leaning against the doorframe, crossed her arms. "Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way. Instead of finding them, we should make them come to us."

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Kevin shot back, irritation clear in his voice.

"Bait," Willow answered simply. "We set a trap, something they can't resist."

Ethan, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "But that's risky. We could end up walking right into their hands."

"Or we could finally get the upper hand," Violace countered. "We can't keep running in circles."

Enna sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's a gamble, but it might be our best shot. We're running out of options."

"Great," Kevin said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "So we're just gonna put ourselves out there as bait and hope we don't get killed."

"We'll plan it carefully," Enna assured him. "We're not going in blind."

"Yeah, because that always works out so well," Violett muttered under her breath.

"Look," Willow said, pushing off the doorframe and stepping into the room. "We're all frustrated. We've been on edge for days, but we can't start turning on each other now."

"She's right," Enna agreed. "We need to stick together. We've been through worse, and we came out the other side. We can do it again."

"Damn right," Violace said, clenching his fists. "We just need to keep our heads in the game."

"Alright," Kevin said after a moment of silence. "Let's do it. But we're not taking any unnecessary risks. We all get out of this in one piece, got it?"

Everyone nodded, the tension in the room easing slightly. They might not have all the answers, but they had each other, and that was something.

Later that night, as the group gathered around the fire in the living room, the atmosphere was still tense, but there was a newfound determination in the air.

"We're gonna make it through this," Enna said, her voice steady. "We've come too far to let those shadows win."

"Damn right," Violett echoed, her eyes fierce. "We're not going down without a fight."

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts, but there was a sense of solidarity among them. The shadows might be lurking, but they were ready to face whatever came their way.

For now, they had a plan, and that was enough to keep the fear at bay. The battle wasn't over, but they were far from defeated.