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y/n tiptoed down the narrow stairs of her tower, her pulse thrumming loudly in her ears. each step she took was painfully slow, her feet brushing against the wood as softly as possible to avoid making even the slightest creak. she kept her gaze locked on the torchlight from the woods, its warm glow unmoving, like a predator lying in wait. the sight made her stomach churn, and her breath came out in uneven, shallow puffs.
a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face, tickling her skin as it slid to her jaw. she quickly wiped it away, her hand trembling. her fingers fumbled over the cool metal of her flashlight, gripping it tightly as if it were a lifeline. the forest around her felt more ominous than ever before, the trees towering over her like silent watchers. every rustle of the wind, every crackle of leaves beneath her feet felt like a threat. but she couldn't stop now. she had to move. she had to get away.
she finally reached the middle of the staircase, her heart racing faster as she crouched, covering the beam of her flashlight with her hand. she turned it on, the light barely visible through her fingers, its glow muted by her palm. the thought of being caught flooded her mind, but she swallowed hard, pushing the fear aside. y/n glanced one last time at the torch in the woods. still no movement. not yet anyway...
she took a deep breath, counted to three in her head, and then flung the flashlight with as much force as she could muster. it sailed through the air, spinning end over end before landing far off in the dense underbrush with a muffled thud. she held her breath, waiting, listening. for a brief, agonizing moment, nothing happened.
then—just barely audible—she heard a rustling in the direction where the flashlight had landed. a few distant voices muttered something she couldn't quite make out, but it was enough.
they had taken the bait.
y/n didn't waste a second.
she bolted down the remaining steps, her legs pumping as she reached the bottom and took off in the opposite direction of the voices. the cold night air rushed against her skin as she ran, her shoes skidding across gravel and dirt. she tried to keep her footsteps light, but her panic made it difficult to control. her breath came out in ragged bursts, her chest tight with fear. the woods were dense around her, branches scratching at her arms as she darted through the trees, but she didn't stop. couldn't stop. she weaved between the trunks, her mind a frantic blur. every second counted. every step took her farther away from the tower—and them. the torchlight was now out of sight, but the danger wasn't.
meanwhile, alaric and sebastian moved swiftly through the woods, the beam of the abandoned flashlight shining dimly ahead of them like a ghostly beacon. alaric trailed just behind sebastian, chewing on the inside of his cheek. his eyes bore into sebastian's back, no—burned into it with every step. the tension between them was palpable, thickening with every second of silence. "you're awfully quiet," the older man finally broke the silence. "considering you're the reason why we're here in the first place." he added.
