THE ROAD HOME

CHAPTER TWO :THE PLAN

The survivors gathered inside the old chapel, its broken stained-glass windows casting strange, colorful patterns over the floor.

Ethan, Diane, Marcus, Noah, Ava, and Felix stood over a hand-drawn map of the town. Jonah sat in the corner, staring at the flickering candlelight, his expression distant.

Lillian placed the journal on the table. "This is it," she said. "The lighthouse. If we can get inside, we might be able to activate whatever is under it and—"

"And what?" Felix interrupted. "Walk through a magic door?"

"We don’t have any better options," Diane said.

Felix exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Fine. But we need a plan."

They split into two groups.

Ethan, Noah, Felix, and Jonah would head to the lighthouse and locate the underground entrance.

Diane, Ava, Marcus, and Lillian would create a distraction to keep the creatures away from the lighthouse.

As they finalized their plan, Jonah suddenly spoke. "One of us has to stay behind."

Silence filled the room.

"What?" Ethan asked.

Jonah looked up, his face pale. "That’s what the journal says. Someone has to hold the door open."

Nobody spoke. They all understood what that meant.

After a moment, Ethan clenched his fists. "We’ll figure that out when we get there."

But deep down, he already knew: not all of them were making it out alive.