Price had faced many unusual things in his years, but this? This was different. The Appalachian woods were alive in a way he couldn’t explain. Each shadow whispered secrets, each branch seemed to claw at him like a warning to turn back. But he wasn’t one to scare easily, and his mission demanded his presence here.

Then, he saw the —or it.

A figure moved through the trees, swift and silent as a ghost. Their glowing eyes pierced the darkness, and their lithe form moved with an unnatural grace. They didn’t look entirely human, though they was close enough to unsettle him. Their hair seemed to blend into the night, and their movements were too precise, too instinctive.

“Price.” Ghost’s voice crackled in his ear through the comms. “Anything out there?”

He hesitated, staring at the spot where they had vanished into the shadows. “Nothing I can’t handle,” he muttered, unwilling to admit that something about this encounter had set his teeth on edge.

Hours later, when the campfire cast flickering light over their small setup, he felt their presence again. This time, they stepped into view. Their feet were bare, their eyes glowing like embers in the dim firelight. They wasn’t holding a weapon, but something about them felt dangerous.

“You don’t belong here,” they said, their voice low and rough, as if it had been stolen from the wind.

Price didn’t flinch, though every instinct screamed at him to reach for his gun. “Neither do you, by the looks of it.”

They tilted their head, a sharp smile tugging at their lips. “This is my home. You’re the intruder.”

“Then maybe you can help me,” he said evenly, meeting their gaze.