<h4>Chapter 1268: Chapter 1268</h4>
Later, when shey curled against his chest, her breathing steady and warm, Jude looked out through the open window.
And there, beyond the trees, he saw her.
Rose.
Standing half in shadow.
Naked. Dripping. Still.
Her ck eyes met his, and she smiled softly - not cruelly this time. Not like the others.
Like her.
And then she vanished into the dark.
He didn’t wake Lucy. He justy there, holding her tighter, wondering if that smile had been a warning.
Or a goodbye.
Jude didn’t sleep again that night. Even as Lucy’s breathing remained soft against his chest, his eyes stayed locked on the tree line, watching for any flicker of movement, any sign that Rose might still be there. But the jungle had swallowed her whole once again, leaving nothing but the memory of her ck eyes and that strange, sad smile behind. When morning finally came, it was veiled in a thick mist that made the trees appear like ghosts, tall and wavering. No birds sang. No breeze stirred the branches. The silence was a weight that settled over the entire camp.
Downstairs, the others were already moving quietly. Sophie and Zoey were sharpening weapons. Emma stirred something over the fire while Natalie helped Grace braid thick cords of vine to reinforce the barricades around the lower path. No one spoke much. They didn’t have to. There was an understanding among them now - a wariness that threaded through every nce and quiet breath. They had all seen something that couldn’t be exined, and even though the camp felt secure, they knew it wasn’t. Not really.
Lucy came down shortly after Jude, dressed in a dark shirt that clung to her curves and made his pulse jump despite the tension that never left his chest. She kissed his cheek softly and sat beside him, her thigh brushing his. "You saw herst night," she said, not as a question, but a quiet fact.
He nodded.
Lucy’s gaze was steady, clear. "What did she look like?"
"Same as always," he said. "But... softer. Less like them."
Lucy tilted her head. "You think she’s different?"
"I don’t know," Jude admitted. "She didn’t try toe closer. Just stood there. Watching."
"Maybe she was trying to remember us," Lucy whispered, her voice thick with something between hope and sorrow.
Jude didn’t reply.
Zoey approached, her de sheathed at her side, sweat already shining on her corbone. "There’s movement near the beach," she said. "I didn’t get close. Too exposed. But I counted at least eight of them. All standing still. Like statues."
Sophie joined them. "If they’re gathering, it means they’re waiting for something."
"What?" Natalie asked,ing over with Emma.
"An invitation," Lucy said before anyone else could respond.
They all turned to her.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her tone low and cautious. "Rose told me something when she tried to convert me. She said the others came willingly, that they chose the ind’s truth. But she also said the ind never forces anyone. It just shows... possibilities. We have to choose to walk toward it."
Sophie frowned. "That’sforting."
Emma looked out toward the mist. "And if we don’t choose?"
"We stay," Jude said. "We keep what we are. Ourselves."
"Then maybe that’s what they’re waiting for," Zoey muttered. "For one of us to slip."
Grace appeared, rubbing her eyes. "I keep dreaming about the tree again. But it’s not burning anymore. It’s growing. Underwater."
Natalie turned slowly toward her. "What do you mean underwater?"
"I don’t know," she whispered. "It’s roots... they move like eels. ck. Slithering."
Jude stood. "We need to see the beach for ourselves."
Sophie nodded. "We’ll all go. Together."
The journey was cautious, silent. Even with des in their hands and fire in their hearts, the jungle felt too quiet, like the world was holding its breath. The mist stayed low to the ground, hiding their feet as they walked. It felt like walking through another ne of existence. The trees above were blurred, and the sound of the ocean reached them in slow, muffled waves.
And then they saw them.
On the sand, perfectly spaced, nine women stood facing the sea.
None of them moved. None of them turned.
Their bodies were coated in a thin sheen of dark oil, dripping from their hair, their skin, even their fingertips. Their eyes - ck, ssy voids - stared out toward the endless blue, unblinking.
Rose was not among them.
"They’re waiting," Emma whispered.
"For what?" Zoey murmured.
"For us," Lucy said softly.
As if in answer, one of the women turned.
Not quickly.
Not menacingly.
Just... turned.
Her eyes locked with Jude’s.
And she smiled.
Not eerie. Not evil.
Inviting.
Another turned. Then another. And soon, all nine were facing the group. Their smiles mirrored one another, soft and strangely beautiful. Like sirens without song.
Then, at the farthest end of the line, one more woman emerged.
Rose.
She stepped onto the sand barefoot, her skin clean, her hair slicked back, gleaming like obsidian. She wore a dress made of palm leaves and vines, flowing gently in the breeze. Her eyes were still ck, but her expression was entirely Rose. The woman they loved. The woman they lost.
Jude stepped forward instinctively. Lucy grabbed his hand, but didn’t stop him.
Rose raised her hand in a slow, deliberate wave.
No words.
No beckoning.
Just a look.
Jude’s heart thundered in his chest.
And then she turned her back, joining the others, staring out at the ocean again.
The group stood there for minutes. No one spoke. No one moved.
Then Sophie exhaled slowly. "We leave."
They turned back toward the forest, Rose and the others still unmoving behind them.
Back at camp, the unease had grown. Grace was fidgeting. Ste refused to eat. Susan kept scratching at her arm until it bled. The air felt heavy with expectation, and no one knew how to relieve it.
Until nightfall.
That’s when Rose came again.
Not with the others.
Not as a shadow.
Alone.