章 152: night deepened

Emily stood on the edge of the clearing, the remnants of the fire flickering weakly against the encroaching darkness. Her thoughts were tangled, a knot of fear and doubt that she couldn't shake. The confrontation from earlier had left her unsettled. The manipulation of the message, the seeds of mistrust it had planted, had shaken her confidence in the group. She couldn't help but wonder who she could trust—if anyone at all.

As the night deepened, the atmosphere among the group became heavier. What had once been easy camaraderie now felt like a fragile facade, ready to crack at the slightest provocation. Every glance seemed loaded with suspicion, every word carefully measured. Small disagreements, which would have been laughed off days ago, now simmered with underlying tension.