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CHAPTER 280 The Haunting Screech

297 AC

POV THIRD PERSON

Sam couldn't run anymore; he was about to pass out, and finally, he remonstrantly stated, "I cannot run no more. Please let us rest. Why are we even running? We have been running for more than three days, and we saw no one."

Pyp and others looked at each other; they had the same idea, but they didn't want to state it openly. Seeing they were silently agreeing with him. Sam pressed on, "Jon, we love you and all, but how do you know someone is following us? Did you see it with Ghost?"

Jon drank a little bit of water, and it was so cold, as it traveled through his throat, that it felt like burning. He shook his head, "I didn't see anyone, but I am sure someone is following us. Ghost can feel it, and he is coming closer as we keep resting with smaller intervals."

Sam wasn't a believer in magic and other things; to him, magic had died with the dragons, but after seeing Jon warg into Ghost, he started to believe in magic again, but this was too much. "You feel someone is following us? No offense, but Ghost is an animal. Are we acting on the instinct of a wild animal?"

Sam realized he started to convince the others. So he pressed more, "Look, who would be crazy enough to follow us for more than three days through this frozen land? We have already reached the Skirling Pass. Are they going to chase us until the Wall? You didn't even see who or what was chasing us. If they are traveling to the east, they have to follow the same path. They might not even be chasing us; they might be even trying to use the Pass, that is, if there is even someone following us."

Pyp and Grenn had the same idea as Sam; the man made sense to them. On the other hand, Benjen and Edd were sitting there without making any noise while resting as much as possible. Jon tried to convince them, "I am sure someone is following us, and those things are dangerous. Because it is getting closer, I can sense through Ghost that whatever is following us is not human. Ghost is afraid of it, and he never fears humans. We have to continue moving."

Pyp added, "Where is that owl, the one that you could communicate with? We haven't seen it for the last two days. Are we sure the Druid is coming? It had been such a long time since we had any other word."

Jon, despite the doubt lingering in the air, remained resolute in his conviction. "The snow owl might have faced some difficulties or lost track of us. But the signs from Ghost and the instincts I feel tell me that we're not alone, and it's not something friendly. Even now, Ghost wants to run; you can see his fur standing up because he feels anxious."

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Sam, still catching his breath, questioned further, "Even if there's something out there, why risk running ourselves to death? We're not prepared for whatever it is. Maybe we can find a defensible position and wait for it to pass. We could build a fire for warmth and protection. Beasts do not approach fire ... " He pointed toward a rocky high ground in the distance and continued, " We can use here. It already has natural fortifications. If we continue, it will catch up with us anyway. This way, at least, we would have the energy to fend the beast off."

Grenn chimed in, "Sam has a point. We can not endure this prolonged chase through these freezing lands. Rather than tiring ourselves to death, we should face whatever might be following us."

Benjen finally spoke, "Jon, I respect your instincts and the Druid, but we're all exhausted, and there's wisdom in what Sam and the others are saying. Maybe it's time to assess the situation and plan our next move carefully. We can't keep running blindly."

...

They had climbed to the rock formation and lit up a big fire. The rocks around them protect them from the cutting wind. They had caught an arctic rabbit, and Edd was cooking it over the fire.

As the group rested, Jon was still trying to convince them to move because Ghost's anxiety was growing with every passing minute, but the majority of them were exhausted and didn't want to move on. Jon thought about what could cause an apex predator to be so much afraid.

The thing was definitely not human; could it be something big like a polar bear or something bigger? He had no idea other than an impending doom. He wasn't feeling anything else, but if it was just an animal, would the Druid ask them to run away like this?

Jon had offered all those ideas to his friends and Benjen, but because of their exhaustion, they didn't want to accept any of them. A haunting screech echoed through the Skirling Pass. It was a sound unfamiliar to all of them, sending a shiver down their spines. The snow-covered landscape seemed to absorb the noise, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Jon, his senses heightened, spoke with a sense of urgency, "We need to move. Now!" a futile plea against the encroaching darkness. But it was already too late. With swords drawn and torches alight, the companions stood their ground, their hearts pounding in their chests as the chill of fear gripped them tightly.

As the mist came, the darkness thickened; the torchlight didn't provide them with much distance. It felt more like a solid wall than incorporeal darkness.

In the eerie darkness, a pair of piercing, small icy orbs appeared. Just below them were eight larger orbs that seemed to pulse with ferocity. The sight sent shivers down their spines, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still as they grappled with the horrifying reality before them.

Sam's voice trembled with disbelief as he dropped his sword, his mind unable to comprehend the nightmare unfolding around them. "They... They are not real," he murmured, his words a desperate attempt to deny the truth. "They are just stories told to children."

But even as Sam spoke, the icy orbs drew closer, their frigid gaze piercing through them and striking fear into their hearts. With each passing moment, the spectral forms seemed to solidify, taking on a chilling semblance that terrified them.