Without another word, he lifted his hand to his mouth, sticking his index finger in and wetting it with saliva.
Lena gave him a confused look. "Uh… what the hell are you doing?"
Milo raised his hand into the air, holding it still as he focused. After a few seconds, he turned his wrist slightly, feeling for the wind.
The others watched in silence.
Then, Milo nodded to himself.
"Alright. Wind's moving west to east."
Riley raised an eyebrow."How do you know that? How do you even know where west is?"
Milo smirked, his usual playful expression replaced with something more focused.
"Alright, listen up, nerds. Time for a quick survival lesson."
He wiggled his damp finger. "When you wet your finger and hold it up, the side that feels cooler is the direction the wind is coming from."
Lena squinted. "And that tells us what, exactly?"
Milo grinned."A lot, actually. In cold regions, like Southern parts of Canada and Russia, or parts of Northern Europe, the wind usually blows from west to east. It's called the 'Westerlies winds' or something I don't really remember the actual name. This phase looks like it's based on a cold region where it's warm in the morning and cold at the night, so let's assume it follows the same pattern."
Ethan blinked.
Since when was Milo this good at geography?
Riley, however, remained skeptical."Okay, but how do we know the wind isn't just moving in some random-ass direction?"
Milo's grin widened. "That's why we confirm it."
He bent down, grabbed a small stick, and drove it into the dirt.
"Now, we use the sun."
Ethan frowned. "How?"
Milo pointed at the stick's shadow."See that? In about 15 minutes, the shadow will shift slightly. And guess what? The shadow always moves west to east because the sun moves east to west."
Lena's eyes widened slightly. "So if the shadow moves in the same direction as the wind, that means…"
Milo clapped his hands together. "That means my assumption was right. The wind is moving west to east, just like in the real world, The reason why I chose Southern part Canada or Russia is that this phase resembles their environment, the warm morning and cold nights. There are 'Easterlies' winds in cold regions as well but they mostly dominate the coldest areas where even the morning is cold."
Riley still looked slightly unconvinced. "And what if you're wrong?"
Milo grinned wider."Then I'll shut up and let Ethan do all the thinking from now on."
Ethan sighed."That's not very reassuring."
Lena chuckled. "Well, let's see if Milo's right."
And so, they waited.
For the first time since entering this phase, they weren't just guessing.
They were figuring things out.
The group stood in silence, watching the stick's shadow.
The warm breeze drifted through the air, rustling the trees softly as the minutes ticked by. The tension had settled, but it hadn't disappeared—because everyone knew what this was leading up to.
They weren't just finding directions.
They were figuring out how much time they had left before the storm hit.
Milo crouched beside the stick, his sharp gaze locked onto the tip of the shadow.
A few minutes passed.
Then—it shifted.
Barely noticeable at first, but the movement was clear.
Milo exhaled, standing up.
"There it is. Just like I said, the shadow moved west to east."
Lena watched the thin mark he had drawn in the dirt, then compared it to the original shadow's position. "So that confirms it?"
Milo nodded. "Yep. The sun is moving east to west, just like in the real world. That means our stick method is working perfectly. Now we know exactly where west and east are."
Ethan surprised, gave a small nod. "Good. Now, what time is it?"
Milo's usual smirk faded slightly as he looked back at the shadow.
Milo squinted at the length of the shadow.
Now that he had confirmed direction, the next step was using the sun to estimate the time.
"Alright, here's the thing," Milo started. "The sun always moves across the sky from east to west, right?"
The group nodded.
"So, when the sun is directly overhead, it's roughly noon."
He motioned toward the stick's shadow.
"The longer the shadow, the farther we are from noon."
He crouched again, running his hand over the elongated shadow.
"Since the shadow is already long, that means the sun has passed its highest point."
Lena crossed her arms. "So it's afternoon?"
Milo nodded. "Yep. The question is, how late in the afternoon?"
Riley exhaled. "How do we figure that out?"
Milo smirked, stretching his arms. "Ever heard of a sundial?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You're saying we can estimate the time just by looking at this?"
Milo pointed at the shadow's angle.
"If it were closer to noon, the shadow would be shorter. But since it's long, that means the sun is already starting to set."
He looked at the sky, judging the sun's position compared to the horizon.
"Based on the length of this shadow… I'd say we're somewhere between 3 PM and 6 PM."
A heavy silence fell over them.
Ethan clenched his jaw.
"And the storm starts at 9:00."
Milo exhaled through his nose. "Yep. Meaning, at best, we have six hours."
"And at worst?" Riley asked, his voice quieter now.
Milo dusted off his hands. "Three hours."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Lena rubbed her arms."That's… not a lot of time."
Riley ran a hand through his hair, looking at the seemingly endless road ahead. "So if we don't find an exit by then…"
"We freeze," Ethan finished.
No one spoke.
The weight of those words settled deep in their bones.
This phase wasn't about surviving an enemy lurking in the dark.
It was about racing against time.
Wasting even a few minutes could mean the difference between making it out and freezing to death in the middle of a raging blizzard.
Ethan inhaled deeply, then turned toward the others.
"Alright. We keep moving. No more distractions. We need to find that crossroads and pick a path before it's too late."
The group nodded.
There was no room for hesitation now.
They had to move.
And fast.
The group started walking, stepping onto the endless stretch of road ahead of them.
As they moved, Ethan and Lena both patted Milo on the back.
"Nice work," Ethan muttered, his voice steady. It wasn't often that he handed out compliments, but Milo had actually proven himself useful.
Lena smiled, nodding. "Yeah, that was impressive. I didn't know you were good at this kind of thing."
Milo grinned, pushing his chest out slightly."See? I'm not just comic relief. I have brains too."
The group kept walking, but Riley stayed quiet.
His eyes flickered toward Milo, a small frown tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He didn't like this.
Someone as stupid and reckless as Milo had just outperformed him. And that didn't sit right with him.
Still, he kept his expression neutral, forcing on a fake mask of indifference.
As they walked, Ethan lifted his gaze to the sky.
The sun was lower than before, but the sky hadn't started changing colors yet. If it were closer to sunset, the horizon would have started shifting into shades of orange and pink.
But right now, the sky was still bright.
That meant they still had time.
"Probably four to five hours left," Ethan thought to himself. "If we keep moving, we should reach the crossroads before then."
Just as they stepped past the starting point…
The world shifted.
A deep pressure filled the air, like the entire phase had just exhaled.
The road beneath their feet felt off. The trees on either side shuddered, as if reacting to something unseen.
Milo stopped mid-step. "Uh… guys?"
Lena's breath hitched. "Something just changed."
Riley instinctively reached for his knife, his entire body going stiff.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
The world had just shifted.
Ethan immediately turned back toward the starting point, his instincts kicking in.
Someone had entered the phase.
And there she was.
A girl stood at the entrance, panting heavily, her chest rising and falling as if she had been running for a while.
She looked like a dusted mess, her clothes slightly dirty, her long black hair tangled from the journey. But despite the exhaustion, she wasn't injured. Just tired.
And even through the dust and fatigue—she was striking.
Around 5'7, slender yet well-proportioned.
Long—cascading past her hips, silky despite its current messy state.
Dark black, rich and glossy, catching the light in strands of soft waves.
Large and innocent-looking—pure black, deep, almost glass-like, reflecting everything around her. There was something soft yet unreadable about them. A warm tan skin, smooth, sun-kissed, as if she belonged somewhere far from this freezing nightmare.
Full, with a natural pink hue, slightly parted as she struggled to catch her breath. High cheekbones, a delicate yet defined jawline, her nose straight and well-shaped.
Even in her exhaustion, she carried a kind of unintentional elegance—like someone who had always been beautiful, even without trying.
She stood there, eyes darting around, taking in her surroundings, still trying to process where she was.
Ethan's gaze locked onto her, his mind already running through possibilities.
Who was she?
And more importantly—where had she come from?
The girl's breathing was uneven, her body still trembling slightly from exhaustion.
Then, her black eyes landed on them.
She froze.
Her entire body stiffened, her expression shifting from confusion to shock.
There were other people here.
She stood still for a moment, almost as if she were unsure whether to approach.
Then, carefully—slow, delicate steps—she started walking toward them.
Her movements were graceful yet hesitant, like someone not used to trusting others easily.
Ethan and Riley exchanged glances before instinctively stepping forward to meet her.
"Hey—are you alright?" Riley spoke first, his voice firm but not unkind.
Ethan stayed slightly behind him, scanning her carefully. He wasn't the type to trust easily, but right now, they didn't have time to hesitate.
As they closed the distance, they could see her better.
Up close, she was even more striking.
Her long black hair, still slightly tangled from her journey, framed high cheekbones and a delicate jawline. Even in her exhaustion, her features were defined, expressive.
And then, she spoke.
Her voice was womanly deep but undeniably feminine, the kind of voice that sounded mature and controlled, yet in this moment, it carried a layer of uncertainty.
"You're… here too?"
Her breath was still unsteady, her eyes flickering between them like she was trying to make sense of this.
Ethan nodded, his tone steady."Yeah. You're not alone in this phase."
She exhaled, visibly trying to calm herself.
"I… I came from Phase 3."
Riley's brows furrowed. "Phase 3?"
She gave a small nod, brushing strands of hair from her face. "I don't know how long I was there, but… it wasn't like this. I survived, moved forward, and now I'm here."
Ethan immediately cut her off.
"We don't have time to talk about Phase 3. If you came from there, fine—but right now, we need to keep moving."
She looked at him for a second, clearly caught off guard by how quickly he dismissed it.
But then, she seemed to understand.
She gave a small, hesitant nod.
"Right… right. I get it."
Ethan studied her reaction carefully.
She seemed… genuine. Not overly trusting, not defensive—just someone who had been surviving alone and was suddenly faced with the option of sticking with a group.
"Are you coming with us or not?" Ethan asked, his tone leaving little room for debate.
She hesitated.
Not because she didn't want to.
But because she had spent too much time alone.
For a brief moment, she considered whether it was smarter to go off on her own again.
But the memory of wandering aimlessly, with no real way of knowing if she was making the right decisions, flashed through her mind.
Being alone had kept her alive—but it had also left her with no real direction.
And in this place… that wasn't going to be enough.
She exhaled slowly.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
Ethan nodded. "Good."
"What's your name?" Riley asked.
She met his gaze, her black eyes still carrying a hint of caution.
"Kia."
A pause.
Then, she added:
"Kia Mascow."
As the group began walking, Kia fell into step beside them, her breathing still slightly uneven from exhaustion.
Ethan reached into his bag, pulling out a bottle of water before offering it to her. "Here. You look like you need this."
Kia glanced at the bottle, then at him.
For a brief second, there was hesitation.
She wasn't the type to accept things from strangers easily, but she also wasn't stupid.
After a moment, she took it. "Thanks."
She twisted the cap open and took a long drink, the cool water hitting her dry throat instantly.
"Damn," she muttered under her breath, exhaling as she pulled the bottle away. "I forgot how good water tastes when you're half dead."
Milo snorted. "Yeah, well, get used to it. Being half dead is kind of a lifestyle here."
Kia glanced at him, a small smirk tugging at her lips despite her exhaustion. "Oh great, so I joined a group of lunatics. Fantastic."
Milo grinned."Hey, I'm not a lunatic—I'm just the emotional support idiot."
Lena chuckled beside him. "More like emotional support headache."
Kia exhaled through her nose, shaking her head slightly. "You guys are something, alright."
She didn't seem overly trusting, but she wasn't cold either. There was a guardedness to her, but also a willingness to talk.
She had a calm attitude—controlled, observant—but there was also humor in her tone. It reminded them a little of Milo, except she was too exhausted to throw out proper jokes.
Lena glanced at her. "How long were you alone in Phase 3?"
Kia's lips pressed together, thinking for a second. "No idea. Felt like weeks, but maybe it was just days. Time feels weird here."
Milo shrugged. "Yeah, no kidding. We've been here long enough to develop trauma, and I don't even know if it's been more than two days."
Kia let out a quiet laugh, though she still looked physically drained."Glad I'm not the only one losing track of time."
Riley, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. "You still got energy to joke around?"
Kia raised an eyebrow. "What, am I supposed to be crying instead?"
Riley just shrugged, looking ahead."Most people would be."
Kia took another sip of water, her black eyes flickering toward him. "Yeah, well. Crying doesn't help much, does it?"
Riley didn't answer.
Ethan, walking a little ahead, listened to their conversation while keeping his eyes on the road.
Kia wasn't overly open. She wasn't fully relaxed. But she was talking.
And in a place like this, that meant something.