The forest is quiet.

Not the peaceful kind of quiet— the kind that presses in on you, thick and suffocating, tense silence that skyrockets your pulse to near-heart attack.

You don’t know how long you’ve been looking. Long enough that Josh, Kat, Eli, and Patrick's voices have faded into the trees. Long enough that the only thing you hear now is wind rustling leaves and water lapping against the shore down by the lake.

And then— A soft scuffling. A shadow shifting between the trees.

You freeze. "Iris?"

Silence. But you know she’s there. And when you take a step forward, slow, careful, you finally see her.

She’s half-hidden in the dark, crouched behind a tree, her hands curled tight around Josh's phone. Her dress is torn, stained with dirt and Sergey's blood.

She's still, except for the subtle rise and fall of her chest— mimicking breath, something she doesn’t actually need. Like she’s trying to convince herself she’s still real.

You exhale carefully, raising empty hands, voice gentle so she doesn't bolt. "Hey, hey, hey. It’s just me, Iris."

Her head tilts slightly— not quite looking at you, not quite looking away. Still, she doesn’t move. Just takes in a jerky breath, tucking into herself.

"They’re looking for you," you murmur, stepping closer, watching her cautiously. "I was worried about you," you continue, finally close enough to crouch next to her, brush her shoulder with your hand.

She flinches. "You're— you're lying. You're going to— to shut me down, Kat said—" her voice cracks, tears welling up in her eyes as you try to shush her, because god forbid one of those bumbling fucking idiots hears.

"Iris, shh," you hiss softly, "you gotta be quiet. I don't want them to come looking."

At that, she seems to pause. Because you could've just screamed when you found her. But you didn't. And it's not like she's got many options left. Voices drift from the trees, calling her name like she's a runaway pet.

Iris sniffles. At last, she leans into you and mumbles,

"I wanna go home."