The van rumbled along the empty mountain road, its tires crunching on gravel that had once been the perimeter of a world built on control and blood. Natalie held Daniel close, his small frame finally still, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. The boy’s glowing eyes, though dim now, occasionally flickered with an unnatural light — a reminder of the energy that had once surged through the Core.
Adrian drove in silence, the weight of what they’d just survived pressing down on him like lead. He kept glancing at the cracked rearview mirror, scanning the misty horizon, searching for any signs of pursuit. Site Eleven’s collapse was catastrophic, but Loren’s contingency wasn’t a thought to ignore. Somewhere, hidden in the world, fragments of Genesis could still awaken.
Natalie broke the sile
