Eventually, Jessie stopped.
“This looks good.”
A clearing sat between tall trees, near a stream but hidden.
Billy dropped his bag. “Finally.”
Sam started unpacking. “Told you we should’ve stopped earlier.” For a while, it felt normal.
Tents went up. Firewood was collected. Supplies were sorted. Billy and Sam wandered off, laughing when they returned.
The sky turned orange. The forest grew quieter.
Not peaceful. Just still.