The horizon was streaked with hues of orange and gray as the sun dipped toward the jagged silhouette of distant mountains. The group sat in a circle around a makeshift campfire, its flickering flames the only source of warmth in the chilling dusk. The silence between them was palpable, weighted by the enormity of what they had just survived.
Mia stared into the fire, her mind racing with fragments of the facility's destruction. The whispers were faint now, barely audible, but their remnants lingered like an ache in the back of her skull. She clutched the encrypted drive in her hand, its smooth surface almost comforting. Whatever secrets it held felt both vital and dangerous.
"So," Finn began, his voice breaking the silence. "Are we going to talk about it? Or just pretend like we didn't almost get buried alive with a bunch of monsters?"
