The air in the pocket dimension didn't just feel still; it felt heavy, like breathing through a layer of invisible velvet. As the voice faded, the symmetrical trees began to ripple, their bark shifting from a static brown to a shimmering, iridescent obsidian.
"Stay behind us," Samantha commanded the hikers, her voice dropping into that low, predatory register that usually signaled someone was about to lose a limb. She didn't look back at Amy and Michael, but she felt their terror—a sharp, metallic tang in the air that set her hybrid senses on edge.
