The words carved into the old stone altar refused to leave Lily's mind.
YOU ARE ALREADY TOO LATE.
They weren't painted.
They weren't written with chalk.
They had been carved.
Patiently.
Deliberately.
As if someone had wanted those words to survive for years.
Or perhaps...
They had only been carved a few hours earlier.
The silence inside the abandoned chapel became unbearable.
Outside, the wind whispered through the broken stained-glass windows, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth into the forgotten building.
Lucas slowly approached the altar.
His fingers traced the edges of the fresh carving.
"It's recent."
He looked back at Ethan.
"Whoever did this knew we were coming."
Margaret closed her eyes.
"That's impossible."
"No one knew about this place except..."
She stop
