39: UNDECIDED

Alpha Jo wanted me to stay. His eyes, usually so full of confidence, were now shadowed with worry as he pleaded with me to reconsider. Zaza, on the other hand, was adamant that we should leave. She could sense the undercurrent of tension that ran through the town, especially around Maria. “We need to go, Ava. I don’t trust Maria, and something feels off about this place,” she insisted, her eyes darting around nervously. “There’s a darkness here. I can feel it.”

But I had my reasons for wanting to stay, the most compelling of which was my family. I hadn’t seen my parents for a long time, and the longing to reunite with them, especially my mother was a powerful pull. “I need to see my parents, Zaza,” I argued gently, though my resolve was firm. “My mother… I need to know she’s okay.”

Zaza’s expression softened with understanding but remained resolute. “Evil is lurking here, Ava. I can feel it in my bones. We need to be careful.”

As the night wore on, the tension in the air seemed to thi