The drive back to the safe house was shrouded in an uneasy silence. The adrenaline that had fueled Ethan, Alex, and Morgana through their fight had long since faded, leaving behind a heavy exhaustion. The dark forest seemed to close in around them as they navigated the winding roads, the trees standing like silent sentinels to the horrors they had faced.
Ethan's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white with the tension that hadn't quite left his body. He glanced in the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of Morgana resting her head against the window, her eyes half-closed. She was recovering, but slowly—whatever the Assembly had done to her had drained her more than she was letting on.
