Everything in its path was engulfed by the night, which extended like an unending wall of darkness. The silence was overwhelmed by my heart's loud pounding, even though the camp was too still and too quiet. Each inhalation I made felt labored, as though the atmosphere itself bore the burden of the impending conflict. I could feel it, like the dense, oppressive air right before a storm.
Gazing into the shadowy forest beyond the camp, my mind was racing with ideas as I stood there. It would all be different tomorrow. Lives would be lost the next day. It scared me, too.
I tried to quiet the storm inside of me for a little while by closing my eyes. However, I was unable to ignore the fear as it gnawed at me. I couldn't get the events of the previous fight out of my head. I had become uncontr
