CHAPTER 17
Timeline: 14 Days Until 18
The silence stretched thick and heavy, broken only by the crackle of the dying fire. Fourteen days. Two weeks. That was all that stood between us and the end of everything we knew. The house felt different now—no more jokes, no easy laughter, every glance loaded with weight, every touch held back like it might burn.
I stood by the boarded-up living room window, staring at the rough planks covering the glass, my hands resting flat against the wood. They’d done it to keep me safe. To keep them out. But all I could feel was trapped.
“Knox said you haven’t eaten since lunch.”
Zane’s voice was soft, steady as always. He set a plate down on the table beside me—sandwiches, fruit, still fresh. “You need your strength. Especially now.”
“I’m not hungry.” I
