Sometimes, the scariest things in the world don't start on a dark and stormy night, or even with a loud bang. Sometimes, the scariest things come just an hour before dawn, when even the sky couldn't decide if it wanted to be night or morning.
The very air stood still the moment I walked out of Hallow's walls after an amazing night's sleep.
There was no wind, not a single leaf rustles, only a silence that pressed against every surface like a breath held for too long. Time itself seemed to pause as if waiting to see what I was going to do next.
From the northern wasteland to the jungles in the south, from flooded cities to crumbling outposts, the entire western hemisphere stopped. And the world... listened.
Closing my eyes, I reached deep down inside for the ties that bind, for the chains that hold.
