Going to Basin from the furthest end of Amherst on foot would be a lengthy journey. They would normally have to count at least three hours, but Noah estimated it would take an extra two, considering the snail pace at which they were going. Kaycee explained that it was necessary to remain tightly grouped to deter any of the Corrupted from picking off an isolated target. This meant that the group could only go as fast as its slowest individual, and in this case it was Jacob.

Before dark, Noah had time to look around at the landscape. It was almost identical to what he remembered, but there were a few subtle yet significant differences, most notably in terms of distance. Everything felt bigger. Roads that would normally be fifty meters long were now a hundred, maybe more. He had discreetly asked Jacob if he had noticed the same thing. He would know with certainty: unlike Noah, he had lived in the neighborhood for almost all of his life. But the boy had answered that what struck him as strange were the houses that hadn’t been there before, or edifices and landmarks that were missing.

A multitude of explanations tried to take form in Noah’s head, but finding the truth would be for another time: the veil of the night was now upon them and he thought it prudent to not let himself get distracted. As soon as the sun had gone down, everything became still, with an eerie silence only broken by the full echo of their footsteps on the concrete road. Their whispers were ripples on stillwater. Every noise they made, the darkness could hear it, and it whispered back.

The leader periodically moved the flashlight around the group in an attempt to make sure nothing was lurking behind them. It had been about two hours into their journey when the problems began. In the corner of everyone’s eye, with no certainty as to what it was, they noticed a silhouette quickly move past them. Kaycee unsuccessfully tried to follow it with her light.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” whined Isaac, loud enough that a blurry mass of shadows would gurgle back as a response.

“Shut up!” Xavier whispered aggressively.

Jacob couldn’t utter a single word. His eyes went wide, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Next to him, Karim mumbled a muslim prayer in Arabic. Even Kaycee seemed to be losing the courage she had shown to have. “Please let us through, please let us through, please let us through...” she whispered, pointing her flashlight forward, looking ahead, her movements now stiff and heavy.

Yet there was something odd, Noah thought. He should have been scared. He should have been fearing for his life. Yet, while worried, he felt strangely confident. Why did he have the feeling they wouldn’t attack?

“Hey… Keep moving,” he said with a little hesitation. He didn’t like giving out orders in this situation. After what had happened in the Jester’s mansion, he couldn’t trust himself with the life of his group… not anymore. But there was something within him, more than simple hope: there was certitude. Something prevented them from swarming.

“Over there!” murmured Karim.

He touched Kaycee’s shoulder to direct her attention towards one of the houses. Despite the village being in a total blackout, that one specific residence had lights on. It wasn’t too far either. She directed the group to walk in its direction before Xavier interrupted her.

“Wait. What if it’s more people from Sandy Hook?”

“I’d rather deal with them than with the corrupted,” she said. “It’s our best shot and you know it. What are the odds of finding any other safe spot? Come on,” she ordered.

Xavier didn’t protest; she was right and he knew it. And in that short exchange, Noah found himself having some degree of admiration for her once more.

She tried to keep the pace steady and careful. Isaac seemed to have plans of his own, however, as he walked faster and faster, breaking off the formation. “Isaac!” Kaycee said in a loud whisper. “Slow down!”

But he didn’t. “We’re almost there,” he argued. “Hurry!” he exclaimed, now a meter and a half away from the rest of the party. Kaycee tried to push the group to advance faster, hoping to catch up, but Jacob was already at his maximum speed due to the injuries he hadn't fully recovered from.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed,” said Kaycee. There was still a good hundred meters before he would reach the house, and that was plenty of time for one of the shadows to grab someone and end them permanently.

Xavier grunted, then moved forward to reach Isaac, despite Kaycee’s protests. He grabbed his arm. “Hey, dumbass! Stay with the group!”

A mere second later, Xavier could feel a cold, liquidy touch grabbing his forearm. He couldn’t see anything but he instinctively held onto Isaac with his free hand and tugged as hard as he could in an attempt to extricate himself.

Isaac halted, confused. The rest of the group caught up to them and Kaycee moved the flashlight around. The living darkness scattered. She then focused the flashlight on Xavier’s arm. Some lines of black ink had fused with his skin, digging under the flesh and moving along the bloodstream in a visible fashion, revealing the veins.

“Don’t scream, Xavier, please, don’t scream…,” she pleaded