Chapter 65 Echoes Of The Past

• Eli’s POV
• The wind howled outside the smashed windows, carrying with it the aroma of rain and ash. The traces of the conflict still lingered in the air, a mixture of blood, smoke, and perspiration. I stood in the dark light of the shattered chamber, my body battered and suffering, my thoughts racing with the weight of what we’d just undergone. But there was no time to rest. Not yet.
• Ava sat on a makeshift cot in the corner, her face pallid but resolute. I could see the tiredness in her eyes, the way she forced herself to stay upright despite the pain. I wanted to get to her, to tell her it was over, that we were safe. But I knew better. We weren’t safe. Not as long as the shadows of the past still haunted us.