Casey tapped the bat lightly against the side of her leg, the soft metallic rhythm punctuating the otherwise tense quiet of the room. Standing there in a tank top and shorts, she looked distinctly unimpressed by the situation despite the armed men surrounding them.
“Since we’ve decided to be friends, can we go change into some actual clothes now?” she asked bluntly. “This is pretty undignified.”
Kyrie nodded softly in agreement, glancing down at her own pajamas before looking around at the unfamiliar armored men. Even if they had been civil so far, standing barefoot in sleepwear among armed strangers wasn’t exactly comforting.
Her eyes drifted upward toward the clock. A little after three. They hadn’t been asleep long at all. The realization made her stomach sink slightly. Whatever happened next, they were going to be exhausted for it.
Captain Nikolaus turned his attention from Jennifer’s careful work to Casey. He studied her for a moment, expression neutral, then gave a small nod. “Sure,” he said calmly. “You should all make sure whatever gear you wish to preserve is packed and ready to move at dawn.”
That caught several of their attentions immediately.
“So dress in what makes you comfortable,” he continued, his tone even, “but under no circumstance should anyone go outside.”
The words hung in the air. The group exchanged uncertain glances. The phrasing felt… deliberate. Cryptic.
Kyrie felt a knot tighten in her stomach. The way he said it; calm, matter-of-fact, suggested he wasn’t speculating. He knew something. Something they didn’t. Her anxiety spiked slightly. Still, if they were allowed to change, she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.
Casey stepped aside, gesturing for Kyrie to go first, and she quietly made her way back upstairs.
Her room felt smaller now. Less comforting. She hadn’t unpacked much, but Nikolaus’ words echoed in her thoughts.
Packed and ready to move at dawn.
Was he expecting them to leave with him? For what purpose? And what if they refused? Would they even have that choice?
Kyrie frowned slightly as she pulled a shirt over her head, then stepped into her jeans, hopping slightly as she pulled them up.
Her mind raced with possibilities. She reached for her socks when something caught her eye. Movement. Outside the window. She froze.
Slowly, cautiously, Kyrie leaned closer to the window, careful not to cast too much movement into the moonlight. The full moon still illuminated the area, silver light stretching across the grass and dirt road.
At first, she saw nothing. Then… There. Something moved. A dark shape, low to the ground. It slipped between shadows, its movement… wrong. Not quite like an animal. Too smooth in places, too abrupt in others, as though it didn’t move the way something natural should.
Kyrie held her breath.
The shape crept closer, hugging the darker edges where the moonlight didn’t quite reach. And then she realized: It was heading straight for the tavern wall.