Riley Hawkins's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Riley crouched at the trapdoor under the old pine, crossbow ready. Her hidden cellar had been clawed open. The rune-marked gauntlet she needed to tame the beast was gone. Tracks led to a scavenger camp deeper in the woods. A torn pack hung in the branches above the raided stash. Mud prints circled the stairs. Six glowing-eyed shapes moved through the trees ahead, dragging her stolen gear. She picked them off one by one. Quiet bolts. Clean shots. No freezing this time. The infected creatures dropped before they could close the distance. Riley stripped their camp. Better straps, sharper bolts, a thicker vest. At the bottom of a sack, the gauntlet pulsed blue against her palm. She slid it on. The runes warmed. Now, when the beast came, she could weaken it and bend it to her will.