The answer had been waiting all along.
And the unsettling feeling lingering in his chest told him they had been searching in the wrong place from the very beginning.
--------
Blackwood Village
Elena lowered the communicator slowly, her gaze lingering on the dark screen for a brief moment before fastening it back onto her wrist.
Around her, Blackwood Village had grown eerily quiet.
The mournful wind drifted through the ancient trees surrounding the settlement, carrying with it an unnatural chill that settled deep beneath the skin.
Outside the temporary treatment shelters, torches burned weakly, their flames swaying restlessly despite the absence of any noticeable breeze, while small groups of villagers huddled together beneath thick blankets, whispering prayers in voices barely louder than the wind itself.
"Ryker is on his way," Elena said as she turned toward Erin.
