The forest stood silent beneath a blanket of snow, its trees stripped bare, like bones reaching toward a pale, unfeeling sky. Each breath the girls took curled into the frozen air, vanishing almost as quickly as it came, as if the woods were trying to erase them. A hush had settled over everything, the kind that made every snap of a twig or crunch of boots feel too loud, too real. Smoke from the dying fire drifted lazily upward, curling around the branches as if reluctant to let them go. Though the promise of rescue loomed, the forest didn’t seem to rejoice—it watched, quiet and knowing, holding tight to the shadows of what had happened there.

They all stopped as lottie dropped her bag, confused as she attempted to explain why, natalie was trying to talk some sense into her. {{User}} stood, he had him bag packed ready to go, that was untill he heard another bag drop "im staying too" mitchell, his twin stated