Chapter 60 Ava
Ava
The building rises out of nothing.
Dark.
Silent.
Forgotten.
Exactly the kind of place Hayes would choose.
“Feels like a horror movie,” Jonah mutters in my ear.
“Stay sharp.”
We move in.
Slow.
Measured.
Each step deliberate.
My body doesn’t like it.
The pain is sharper now.
Heavier.
A drag I can’t quite shake.
The edges of my vision blur.
Just for a second.
I blink hard.
Focus snaps back.
Not now.
Not yet.
Ethan’s hand brushes my lower back.
Light.
Steady.
Grounding.
“You good?”
“I’m fine.”
Lie.
He knows it.
He doesn’t say anything.
But his hand doesn’t move.
We reach the door.
Inside—
darkness.
Cold air.
Stillness that feels… wrong.
“Motion sensors are either offline,” Jonah says, “or—”
“They’re letting us in,” Aaron finishes.
Yeah.
I know.
This is exactly what Hayes wants.
I step inside anyway.
Because I don’t have a choice.
And because if I don’t—
this ends with me.