The first thing Elijah did after the silence settled was dismantle the cabin.

Not literally—he didn’t tear it down—but he stripped it of meaning. Power went dark. The humming devices were shut off, wrapped, and buried beneath a loose stone outside. The maps were replaced with others, the radio smashed and its pieces scattered into different packs. By the time the sun reached its highest point, the cabin was no longer a bunker.

It was bait that had already served its purpose.

“We’re ...