The moment Max and Donovan stumbled into the compound, the air turned frigid. The sky, once a peaceful shade of twilight, darkened as an ominous wind swept through Zach’s land. Their appearance was nothing short of catastrophic—bloodied, battered, and broken.
Max’s usually defiant expression was gone, replaced by a blank, distant stare as he leaned heavily against Donovan, who was barely clinging to life. The stench of blood and death lingered on them, and it was clear they had fought their way through something brutal. Max’s chest heaved with each labored breath, his body swaying under the weight of both exhaustion and horror.
Zach and Vera were outside when they saw the two collapsing near the boundary of the compound. Zach was the first to reach them, crouching beside Max as Donovan’s
