Dylan didn't speak. He couldn't—his lips moved, but no sound emerged.
Elisa grabbed his hand. It was freezing. Clammy. But she squeezed it tight. His pulse fluttered weakly, faint but undeniably present.
"He's back!" she breathed, voice trembling with disbelief.
Maggie didn't move. She watched through narrowed eyes, her expression unreadable.
Finally, Dylan's mouth found breath again.
"...she's inside me," he whispered. "Still inside me..."
Tears welled in his eyes—not from fear, but rage.
"I saw what she is. I saw her. She wants—"
He didn't finish. His jaw locked mid-sentence. His breath cut off abruptly.
Maggie stepped forward, a dark silhouette in the forest's green-tinged gloom.
"She got a name now?" she asked calmly.
Dylan swallowed with difficulty. "...think she had one. Before the fall. Now... she's just hunger."
Elisa studied him. Her voice softened but thrummed with urgency.
"Can you still fight her?"
"...yeah. Think so. Not for long."
