Chapter 91: The fight had only just begun.

Maya Moments passed, and the silence of the church wrapped around me like a vice, squeezing tighter with every breath. Each empty pew seemed to loom larger, shadows stretching across the walls, creeping into every corner of my mind, clawing at my resolve. I could feel the weight pressing in, suffocating me, slowly trying to kill me. I had no idea what was happening at the borders. I didn’t know if Nate was safe, if he was even breathing. The church, now nearly empty, felt ghostly—the members who had left one by one hadn’t returned, and no one had brought back any news. The silence twisted around me, each second stretching my nerves taut, as if the stillness itself was a reminder of the endless unknown, tightening the knot in my throat until it felt like I could hardly breathe. Outside, the faint sounds of chaos echoed in the distance, like whispers carried by the wind, hinting at the struggle raging beyond my reach. Each scream, each howl that made its way to my ears only intensified t