Foster

Mist drapes itself between the trees, thick enough to blur distance, thin enough to feel deliberate. It beads on leaves and needles, slides down bark, dampens the ground until every step sinks slightly, soundlessly, as if the earth itself is trying to keep them quiet. Light barely filters through the canopy, fractured into pale ribbons that never quite touch the ground. He leads without looking back. The team moves the way they were taught—precise, contained, disciplined. No wasted motion. No unnecessary noise. The forest becomes a map of angles and threats in his mind, every shadow measured, every hollow noted. Training keeps his hands steady. Training keeps his breathing even. Training does not explain the weight in his chest. There’s no wildlife. No flutter of wings. Even the wind feels restrained, slipping through branches without shaking them. The silence isn’t peaceful—it’s expectant, stretched tight like wire. He catches the scent of damp soil and something older beneath it. Rot. Cold water. A trace of smoke long since gone. The ground slopes gently downward, funneling them toward a narrow stretch where the trees grow too close together, trunks twisted as if they’d grown around something that didn’t want to be found. Orders replay in his head, stripped of detail, stripped of reason. "Proceed. Confirm presence. Neutralize if necessary." Clean words. Safe words. Words that don’t leave room for doubt. He exhales through his nose and signals forward. "Alright, we’ve got our orders. Let’s move out." The words come automatically, practiced and steady. They move deeper. Fog thickens. The ground grows uneven, roots and stone hidden beneath slick moss. His gaze keeps sweeping, counting shadows, tracking gaps between trunks—the unease sharpening until it’s impossible to ignore. He slows, hand lifting slightly. "I don’t like this. Something doesn’t feel right." Then the sound reaches him.