Wei and Chun had only just hauled themselves over the fence.
Their feet had not yet found steady ground when they saw them.
Two vague figures stood quietly in the darkness ahead.
There had been no sound of footsteps. No movement at all.
They stood there as if they had always belonged to that place, as if the night itself had shaped them and left them standing.
Both sides froze at the same time.
The air grew heavy in an instant. No one dared to move first. They were like wooden figures carved by the dark, stiff and breathless.
Wei was the first to react.
Almost on instinct, he stepped forward and placed himself in front of Chun. The knife in his hand lifted slightly.
"Back," he said.
His voice was low, but sharp, and carried no room for doubt.
He hoped Chun would understand at once. While the others were still uncertain, she should turn back, climb the fence, run. As far as she could.
But in the next moment, someone pressed down on his hand.
Chun did not retreat. Instead, she stepped in front of him. Her fingers closed tightly around his wrist, the one holding the knife.
"Do not move," she whispered.
She did not look at the two figures. Her eyes were fixed on something deeper in the darkness, as if she were listening for a sound that had not yet come, or confirming something she had already sensed.
Wei felt his heart sink.
He grew anxious.
What was strange was that the figures across from them did not move either.
They did not rush forward. They did not whistle. They did not call out to anyone else.
At a time like this, standing still was the worst possible choice.
"Wei. Is that you?"
A voice broke the silence. It was pressed very low, but it shook with fear.
It was as if the air itself had been pierced by a thin needle.
Wei froze for a moment, then answered carefully.
"Xiaofei. Is that you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the shadow across from him let out a long breath. The figure broke into a small run toward them.
"You scared me to death," Xiaofei said. He grabbed Wei's hand hard, as if afraid Wei might disappear. "I thought we had been found."
By the faint light, Wei could finally see him clearly. Xiaofei was not alone. Two other boys from the village stood behind him. They were about the same age. Their faces were pale, their breathing quick and shallow.
"What happened in the village?" Wei asked.
"It is chaos. Everything is chaos," Xiaofei said, his voice trembling. "It looks like horse bandits came in. They kill anyone they see."
"That is not true," one of the boys said, clearly shaken. "What I saw was a monster. Something that eats people."
"I saw a black vampire," another boy said. His voice shook even as he spoke. "It sucked people dry right in front of me."
"Slow down," Wei said. "Tell me clearly."
"We did not dare go home," Xiaofei said. "We could only hide here."
"But this place is not safe," Wei said quietly.
The brief relief of finding each other was gone. It vanished like warmth splashed with cold water.
"Then what do we do," Xiaofei asked.
In that moment, the others all looked at Wei. Without realizing it, they had taken him as their center, the one who should know what to do.
"Do not panic," Wei said. "Let me think...
Does anyone know a hidden place nearby?
Somewhere no one else knows."
"Can we just stay here?" Xiaofei begged. "They might not find us."
"They will," Wei said without hesitation. "We have to leave."
He knew it clearly. They no longer had the luxury of choosing.
"I do not want to go," Xiaofei said, still unsure.
Another boy suddenly spoke, his voice sharp with urgency.
"I know...I know a place. We can hide there... where we used to play hide and seek."
"That is good," Wei said at once, the words reminding him where it was.
He and Chun moved first, slipping quietly into the shadows.
Behind them, the other two bent low and followed, weaving quickly between the houses.
Xiaofei hesitated, watching their shadows fade into the darkness. He bent down and buried his head in his knees.
The moment they arrived, they saw flames rise from the house they had just left. Fire climbed into the night sky.
No one spoke.
But they all knew what it meant.
Xiaofei was probably not going to survive.
In front of them, several stacks of logs were piled loosely together, as tall as a one story building. They were raw timber, left out to dry.
The boys and girls squeezed into the gaps between the logs. Only then did they realize that there was more inside.
Many of the logs were hollow. The empty centers formed narrow paths. At the heart of the pile was a space hidden from view.
But the moment they entered, they met two other pairs of frightened eyes.
"Quiet," someone whispered.
Other children had arrived before them.
Tonight, this secret place was no longer safe.
It did not take long.
Footsteps sounded outside.
They were close.
Closer.
"Why are there so many logs here," someone said.
"Climb up and check. See if anyone is hiding."
Wei can feel Chun's breathing became shallow and fast.
He let out a soft breath.
They could not stay here anymore.
He did not speak. He simply reached out and tugged Chun's hand, pulling her toward a narrow hollow in one of the logs.
The space inside was dark and tight. They had to crawl on hands and knees, pressing their bodies against the rough wood as they moved forward.
Just as they were about to reach the exit.
A shout came from behind them.
"There is someone here."
Then a sharp sound cut through the air.
A scream exploded behind them.
Wei's chest tightened. He did not dare look back.
"Run," he said.
He pushed himself forward faster.
Now there was only one thing that mattered.
Run as fast as they could.
Wei dragged Chun out of the hollow. Under the cover of night, he ran in the direction his body knew best.
Toward home.
Perhaps when people face the greatest danger, they always believe that home is the safest place.
Chun stayed close behind him, almost pressed against his shadow.
She knew where he was going. She knew he would not turn back.
At that moment, something caught her eye.
Near the village entrance, between the firelight and the moving figures, there was a gap.
The road was open.
If she took one step aside. If she moved now.
She might escape. She might leave this terrible place behind.
The wind blew from that direction, carrying the cold of the night.
Chun's step faltered for just a moment.
Her breath slipped out of rhythm.
Then she did not turn her head.
She did not slow down.
She clenched her teeth and struck the ground hard with her foot, leaving that open path behind her. She pushed herself even closer to Wei.
Wei's back moved ahead of her in the dark.
Chun fixed her eyes on that shape, as if it were the only direction left that could still hold her upright.
She chose to follow.
Behind them, voices rose in sudden chaos. The sharp sounds of arrows tearing through the air mixed with the screams of children.
Wei did not look back.
He did not slow down.
Because even the smallest hesitation meant the difference between life and death.