Shadows in the Mist" (Continued)

As they ventured through the fog, Sheriffdeen noticed how Radeeyah moved—fluidly, as though she knew exactly where she was going, even in the thick, swirling mist. It was unnerving, the way she seemed to be drawn to something just beyond his comprehension. He wanted to ask her about it, but the words stuck in his throat. Instead, they walked in silence, each step more deliberate than the last.

“Do you remember the old church?” Radeeyah’s voice cut through the stillness, pulling Sheriffdeen from his thoughts.

“Yeah,” he replied. The church had been abandoned for years, a crumbling relic of a time long past. He had never understood why it was left to decay, why no one ever spoke of it. But Radeeyah's words carried a weight he couldn’t ignore. “What about it?”

“It’s where the seal was broken,” she said, her eyes narrowing as if the very thought of it pained her. “Where my family tried to stop it.”

Sheriffdeen glanced at her. “Your family… What do you mean? You’ve never talked about it before.”

Radeeyah hesitated. "Because I didn’t understand it all, Sheriffdeen. But I do now. My family wasn’t just taken—they were chosen." She stopped walking, her face pale under the moonlight. "And I was supposed to be next."

A cold shiver ran down his spine. “What are you saying, Radeeyah?”

She swallowed hard, then continued. "My father was part of a secret society. They were the town’s protectors, the ones who kept the dark things beneath the surface at bay. They knew about the mist—what it truly was. But something happened. Someone in the group betrayed them. They broke the seal."

The realization hit Sheriffdeen like a punch to the gut. “Your father… he was part of keeping it locked away? And your family… they were part of the sacrifice?”

Radeeyah nodded. “Yes. My mother, my father… my brother. All of them knew the cost. I was supposed to take their place when the time came. But I ran.”