"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," says Alexander Pope. "Look before you leap," they say. But these maxims mean nothing when adrenaline takes over-the thrill of exploring the unknown and the enticing chase of uncertainty.
One calm afternoon in the small state of Clarkson, six friends from Clarkson High-Klein, Marcus, Achilles, Hans, Claire, and Shiloh-known for their insane livestreams of discovering and exploring abandoned places, decided to go hiking in search of a mysterious spot deep within the forest. Local whispers promised an unsettling atmosphere, perfect for their next livestream. Though their instincts warned against it, armed with nothing but themselves, their phones, and a camera, they pressed on, unaware of what awaited them.
Adrenaline is what pushes you. But regret will be what welcomes you.
As the saying goes, "nasa huli ang pagsisisi."
Book cover designed by PrismaPop Designs / Luné Prisma.
They don't chase. They wait. And they already know your truth.
After the world fell silent, after machines turned against the minds that made them, a new terror emerged: the Pale Ones. Human-shaped and ghost-quiet, they come not for the body-but for the secrets no one dares to speak. You don't see them at first. But you feel them. Like gravity. Like guilt.
Ty Mercer has walked a long way from Fort McCoy, farther than most, and seen what happens when people stop. He's learned to keep moving, even when he can't make the full thirty miles. He's learned the rules-but not the reasons. When he crosses paths with a ragged group of survivors in the shell of an abandoned megachurch, he gives them a choice: walk south or wait to be unmade.
Among them: a boy with a gift for sensing the wrongness others ignore, an artist who draws what shouldn't exist, a preacher clinging to fire and judgment, and a woman who's lost more than she'll ever admit. Together, they march-not just to escape the Pale Ones, but to outrun the truths that might doom them first.
Because in this world, the ones who fall behind don't scream.
They Whisper.