Thursday: The Formation Changes
As the hailstorm continued, the rock formation seemed to respond. Thin spires shot upward, twisting and curling like the branches of a tree. The air around it shimmered with heat, despite the icy hail falling from the sky.
“Do you think it’s natural?” Ivy Mae asked, clutching the engraved box she had rescued from the Airbnb.
“Nothing about this feels natural,” Roman replied, gripping his makeshift spear tightly.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the formation began to quake again. Cracks spread outward from its base, snaking through the clearing and splitting the burned-out cabin remains.
“It’s growing,” Jas said, their voice barely above a whisper.
They stared in stunned silence as the formation expanded, its surface glistening and pulsating like a living organism.