Maya sat alone in the attic, files spread around her like fragments of a shattered soul. The name Elias Ward echoed louder than the storm outside. Her hands trembled as she pulled out an old photograph from the folder.
A boy with stormy eyes and a crooked grin stood beside a younger version of her—barefoot, muddy, laughing.
"Elias," she whispered.
The memory hit her like lightning—him pulling her through the forest, hiding in tunnels, whispering secrets when the walls had ears. She hadn't imagined him. They'd erased him.
Daniel entered quietly. "You remember him."
"I never forgot. They buried it."
His voice lowered. "He's alive."
Her heart nearly stopped. "Where?"
"They kept him. Underground. Somewhere called 'The Frost Cell.'"
Her legs gave way. "I have to find him."
Daniel grabbed her arm. "It's not that simple. The Frost Cell... it's buried beneath the old psychiatric ward outside Easton. That place eats people alive."
"Then it's the perfect place to start digging," Maya said, voice steady.
Outside, the wind shrieked through the trees.
Inside her, the storm had settled into purpose.