I hadn't actually seen the monster, but just sensing the change in the sinister energy had made me feel as if I'd fallen into an ice cellar. Fear swallowed me whole.
The driver beside me was the same. I didn't know whether he had some special ability or the sinister energy was so overwhelming that even ordinary people could sense it. Either way, he felt the same fear I did.
I'd been through quite a lot. My heart was racing and my breathing had grown uneven, but I stayed calm in my seat, my nerves taut.
The driver completely panicked. He slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel, trying to escape the monster.
In the blink of an eye—
With the brakes screeching, the high-performance car spun more than a hundred and eighty degrees and turned around.
The driver was skilled behind the wheel. Without a second thought, he hit the accelerator and sped off.
He probably had no idea what was happening. He was just trying to escape on instinct.
I heard him panting. His gasps echoed nonstop through the car.
I glanced back.
The mountain behind us looked unchanged. The sinister energy still hung over it, watching me intently, but it hadn't moved.
I turned forward again.
The car should've been driving straight back along the same road, since the road we'd come on had been straight. But after we turned around, the road ahead twisted and curved.
Cold sweat trickled down the driver's face. "What's going on... How...?"
My heart sank. I carefully observed our surroundings and realized the sinister energy hadn't disappeared. It was spreading.
It was like a gust of wind had scattered the mass of energy, carrying it farther afield.
I stayed on high alert, ready to use my ability if we