The sound was still there.
A slow, dragging scrape that didn't echo right.
Too steady. Too alive.
Jin motioned with two fingers and the group shifted forward, low and quiet. No one spoke. Even Echo didn't crack a joke which in itself was unsettling.
They were a good five minutes' walk from the school by now. Vines climbed street lamps. Cracks spidered across the pavement. One of the old convenience stores nearby had a gaping hole in its side, like someone massive had smashed, probably to take some supplies.
The dragging grew louder.
Jin held his breath, straining to trace the direction. The air was colder here.
Echo stopped beside a low wall and crouched, one hand brushing the ground.
"It's moving," he whispered. "The sound. It was north before. Now it's…" He paused. "...closer."
A sudden clack echoed through the street, the sound of something heavy brushing against something metal. Maybe a signpost.
Jin scanned the alley up ahead, nothing but shadows under the moonlight.
