The creature stepped fully into view.

It stood on four legs, hunched forward, its spine visible through torn patches of fur that hung in clumps from mottled grey skin. Ribs protruded sharply beneath the flesh, each bone outlined clearly as if the thing had been starving for months.

Its head sat low between its shoulders, jaw hanging slack and wrong, dislocated at an angle that exposed rows of broken teeth stained dark with old blood.

Its eyes were fixed on the group with an intelligence that didn't belong in something that looked half-dead.

It burst forward, closing the distance in three powerful strides. Its jaw snapped shut as it drove toward Tess.

Her sword was already moving.

She met it head-on, blade cutting through the air in a downward slash that caught the creature across its neck. The impact barely slowed it. The thing twisted mid-stride, claws raking toward her face.

Tess dropped low, letting the strike pass overhead, and drove her blade up through its ribs.

The creature let out a high-pitched shriek before collapsing forward.

Six more burst through the undergrowth, moving in from three sides, their movements jerky and unnatural. They spread out, circling the clearing with coordination.

"Cover Gabriel" Adan barked, already stepping forward.

Gilbert pushed off the tree, spear coming up despite the way his body protested. Ennu's knives appeared in her hands, the blades catching the last rays of sun.

His body refused to respond.

Mera was moving before he could try again.

She threw herself across him, her weight pinning him to the ground as one of the creatures lunged toward them.

Adan's blade caught it mid-air.

His sword punched through the creature's skull with a crunch, momentum carrying it forward even as it died. Adan twisted, using the weight to redirect the body away from Gabriel and Mera before ripping his sword free.

Two more came at him immediately.

He stepped back, blade moving in tight, controlled swings that kept them at distance. One lunged low, trying to get under his guard. His boot caught it in the jaw, snapping its head sideways before his sword came down and split its spine.

The second creature circled, a low growling coming from its throat.

Gilbert's spear plunged through its ribs before it could strike.

He wrenched the weapon free with a grunt, his face twisted in pain as the movement pulled at his injuries. The creature staggered, trying to right itself, but Gilbert drove the spear down again, pinning it to the ground.

Ennu moved. Her knives flashed in the fading light, opening throats and tendons with precision that left no room for error. One of the creatures turned on her, jaws snapping, but she was already gone, sliding past it and burying both blades into the back of its neck.

The last creature broke from the circle.

It bolted toward the horses, claws tearing up dirt as it ran.

Tess was faster.

She caught it three steps from the nearest mount, her blade driving down through its shoulder and into its chest. The creature collapsed, legs kicking uselessly as it died.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Mera pushed herself up slowly, her hands braced on either side of Gabriel's head. She looked down at him, breathing hard, her hair falling loose around her face.

"Are you hurt?" she asked quietly.

Gabriel stared up at her, his jaw tight. "Get off me."

She hesitated for a moment, then pulled back, sitting on her heels beside him.

Tess wiped her blade clean on one of the corpses. "What the hell were those?"

"Ghouls," Adan replied, already moving to check the bodies. "Scavengers. They must of smelt the blood."

Tess's expression darkened. "We need to move. Now."

No one argued.

Adan was already at the horses, checking their harnesses with quick, efficient movements. Gilbert pushed off his spear and limped toward them, one hand still pressed against his ribs.

Ennu cleaned her knives on the grass before sheathing them and moving to help with the mounts.

Gabriel forced himself upright despite the way his ribs screamed in protest. His left arm hung useless, the shoulder still barely functional even after Mera had reset it. He braced his right hand against the ground, trying to push himself to his knees.

Mera was beside him immediately.

She didn't ask this time. She just hooked an arm under his good shoulder and lifted, taking most of his weight as he struggled to stand.

Gabriel's legs shook beneath him, almost giving out.

Mera held him steady, her grip firm but careful, avoiding the worst of his injuries. She didn't speak. Didn't offer reassurances or ask if he was alright.

She just stood there, supporting him, her breathing still uneven from throwing herself across him moments before.

Gabriel turned his head slightly, meeting her eyes.

She looked back at him, and for a moment, something passed between them. Something unspoken that neither of them had words for.

Sadness sat in her eyes like a weight she couldn't shake, buried beneath the exhaustion and the fear.

Gabriel looked away first.

"I can walk," he said quietly.

Mera's jaw tightened, but she nodded and released him slowly, staying close as he took his first unsteady step toward the horses.

He made it three paces before his knees buckled.

The apothecary caught him before he hit the ground, her hands gripping his arm and waist with surprising strength. She didn't say anything. Didn't tell him he was being stupid or stubborn or reckless.

She just held him upright until he found his footing again.

"Adan," she called out, her voice steady. "Help me get him on the horse."

The guild assistant was there in seconds, moving to Gabriel's other side. Together, they guided him toward Ennu's mount, the horse shifting nervously as they approached.

He gritted his teeth through the pain, refusing to make a sound as they lifted him.

His ribs felt like they were tearing apart with every movement.

Ennu climbed up behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist to keep him steady.

"We need to move," Tess barked, already seated on her mount. "No more stops until Galveston."

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