Behind me the cabin lights glow softly through the windows.
Adam and Russ are still inside with Wren, digging through the network data.
They didn’t try to stop me when I said I was taking a drive.
They didn’t have to.
We’ve all worked together long enough to recognize when someone needs to follow a lead.
Even a dangerous one.
The truck engine rumbles to life.
Headlights sweep across the trees as I pull down the narrow road toward town.
Fifteen minutes later the church comes into view again.
It looks exactly like it did earlier.
White siding.
Steeple rising against the dark sky.
Peaceful.
But something about it feels different tonight.
Like the building itself is watching.
I park along the curb and sit there for a moment.
The town is silent.
No traffic.
No lights in the surrounding houses.
Just wind.
And that church.
Waiting.
Finally I step out of the truck.
My boots crunch softly on the gravel as I cross the empty street.
The church doors come into view.
And I slow down.
Because the lights inside are on.
Not all of them.
Just the sanctuary.
That alone is strange.
