The distant branches of Covington Woods were barely visible in the cold Autumn morning, icy blue fog almost obscuring their large forms. A chill wind raced by, making the mist curl and billow, and now the trees stood out considerably. The next second, they had vanished once more. The view was spectacular, eerily beautiful and haunting, accenting the simple delicacy of the village.

Unfortunately, Ivy Walker saw none of this as she walked slowly through the village, the grass crunching beneath her feet. The immense beauty of her surroundings was not lost on the young woman, however. The morning air was crisp and fresh from last night's rain, and she heard the songbirds who had not yet flown away pitching their ominous calls through the air. Suddenly she felt her walking stick hit a wooden stair. She was there. With a sigh she began climbing the stairs, the door letting out a creak as she entered.

"Hello Ivy." Alice Hunt's voice was soft, wearied from worry and many sleepless nights, and she set down a basket she had been carrying.

"Hello Mrs. Walker." Alice took her coat, and Ivy heard the shuffling of fabric as it was hanged up. "How is he?" She asked.

"There has been no change yet." The older woman began. "It is still too early to tell."

"May I see him?"

There was a pause as Alice nodded. "Yes." She said aloud. Ivy thanked her, making her way to Lucius' room. She had no need for her cane, she had memorized the route. Taking her usual seat by his side, she searched for his hand, grasping it gently, frowning at it's unnatural warmth. So not even his fever had broken yet. Running her thumb over his hand, she felt tears threatening to well up in her eyes as she tried to force the thought of him so sick from her mind, tried to instead conjure up a dream of better times.

"Do not lose hope." Alice said, entering the room with the basket. "He would not want that."

"I know." Ivy said, her voice cracking ever-so-slightly. After filling the basket with soiled dressings, Alice picked it up and left the room. Ivy never removed her sightless eyes from Lucius, watching his color wax and wane in the darkness, so very very faint.

So very, very faint.

'Your son has made our stories real.' Mr. Walkers words echoed through Vivian Percy's mind as she took her seat in the meeting room. Her husband squeezed her hand gently as the other elders slowly filed in, and she closed her eyes, preparing herself for the discussion that would take place shortly.

Noah, The woman thought gravely. My dear Noah. Why did you do it? Of course they would never fully know. They could only speculate at what had happened.

The door closed sharply, and Edward Walker became the sudden center of attention as he crossed the room towards them. There was silence as he remained standing, head down, gathering his thoughts.

"This... has been a difficult time." He began finally, his voice soft. "For all of us." He looked up at the still form of Alice Hunt, and then his eyes moved to Vivian and Robert Percy. He sighed, and lapsed into silence once more.

"What are we going to tell the village?" Mrs. Clack asked after almost a minute of uneasy silence. This question brought up a flurry of hushed whispers.

"We have discussed this." Edward said. "We will tell them Noah was killed by the creatures."

His proclamation was met by more hushed discussions, some agreed, some not. He looked around at the other Elders gravely. "August, Robert and I... Have studied the scene in the Quiet Room. We believe..." He hesitated, knowing the discord his words were about to create. "We believe Noah did not do these things on his own." Sure enough, shocked silence followed his words.

"We believe he had help."