The rain came down in sheets, hammering against the windshield as the van barreled across the border into Romania. Every few seconds, lightning flashed, revealing the jagged silhouette of mountains in the distance. Adrian gripped the steering wheel tightly, the glow from the dashboard painting his face in pale blue. Natalie sat beside him, her knuckles white around the small pendant hanging from her neck — Daniel’s old baby charm.
Ethan was asleep in the back again, curled up in a blanket. But Natalie couldn’t close her eyes. Every flash of light across the sky felt like a countdown, every mile closer to Site Eleven felt like a step into a grave.
“How much longer?” she finally asked.
“Three hours,” Adrian said quietly. “If the roads ahead aren’t blocked.”
“Three hours,” she repeated, h
