Chapter 4 The dream

Zariah stumbled out of Timeless Relics, the night air thick and oppressive, pressing against her chest like a weight. Her breath came in shallow gasps, each one sharp and uneven. She was alone-truly alone-and the silence around her screamed danger. Something was coming. Someone. She could feel it, a shadow lurking just out of sight, waiting to pounce. Her hands trembled as she grabbed her backpack, her fingers brushing against the strange card Miriam had pressed into her palm days ago. The edges were worn, the address barely legible under the flickering neon sign.

*A way home,* Miriam had said. Whatever that meant. Zariah didn't care about the details anymore. She couldn't stay here. Not with the shadows closing in, not with the dread clawing at her spine. She bolted to her car, a beat-up junker parked behind the shop. The keys jangled in her shaking hands as she fumbled them into the ignition. The engine coughed once, twice, then roared to life. She peeled out of the lot, tires squealing against the pavement. She didn't know where she was going-just away. Away from the shop, the shadows, the creeping sense of doom that had been chasing her for days. The city lights streaked past her windows, a blur of neon and concrete. Her heart pounded in her chest, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. Questions raced through her mind, frantic and useless. *Who's after me? Where's Miriam? What the hell is happening?* But there were no answers, only the hum of the engine and the endless stretch of road ahead. Hours bled together, the city fading into dark, empty stretches of nowhere. Her eyes burned, her arms ached, and exhaustion hit her like a brick. Fear alone wasn't enough to keep her going. She needed to stop, just for a little while. A flickering sign loomed ahead: *"Moonlight Motel-Vacancy."* It was a dump-peeling paint, a gravel lot, a single dim bulb buzzing over the office-but it was something. She pulled in, the car crunching to a stop. The clerk didn't look up from his magazine as she shoved cash across the counter. Key in hand, she shuffled to her room, locked the door, and slid the chain into place. The bed sagged under her weight as she collapsed onto it, still in her jacket and boots. She was too tired to care. Sleep swallowed her whole. --- The mountain rose before her, jagged and towering, its cliffs slicing through a sky of deep blues and swirling silvers. Mist curled around her ankles, cold and alive. She'd been here before-in dreams she couldn't shake. There he was: the silver wolf, perched atop the peak. His fur shimmered under the moonlight, and his molten-gold eyes pierced through her, steady and unblinking. He was closer this time, his presence heavier, like a weight she couldn't name. Zariah's breath hitched, but fear didn't come. It never did with him. He stepped forward, massive paws silent on the stone. His voice rumbled through the air, deep and urgent. *"Find me, Zariah. Time is running out."* She took a step toward him, drawn by something primal, something she couldn't explain. "Who are you?" she whispered. The dream shattered before he could answer.