Chapter 29: The Shadows Behind the Curtain

The world around Maya was a haze of darkness and ringing silence. She couldn't move—couldn't even blink. Her chest felt tight, suffocating. She couldn't remember if she had lost consciousness from the impact of the bullet, or if it was something else. The pain that followed was like fire in her veins, sharp and unbearable.

Was this it?

She tried to open her eyes, but everything was blurry. She could hear voices, muffled, distant. Her mind was racing, but her body wasn't responding. Her fingers twitched, her hand just barely lifting off the cold earth, and with that, everything seemed to crash back into focus.

"Maya?"

Ellie's voice was the first thing she could truly hear, the warmth of it cutting through the fog in her mind. Ellie was there. They were still alive.

Maya's body felt like it belonged to someone else, each part heavy and foreign as she forced herself to move. She blinked, and then her vision cleared enough to see Ellie kneeling beside her, her face pale and streaked with dirt, tears staining her cheeks.

"You're awake," Ellie whispered, a strange mix of relief and pain in her voice. "You've been out for... minutes? Maybe longer. You were shot, Maya."

"I... I know," Maya croaked, her throat raw, her voice weak. She looked down, noticing the blood staining her shirt and hands. "But... I'm not dead."

"No, you're not," Ellie responded, her voice trembling. She reached down to help Maya sit up. "You're gonna make it. We'll get you out of here. I promise."

But Maya could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on her, the significance of it all. She could see the flash of fear in Ellie's eyes, the deep concern, but there was also a kind of sorrow. A quiet sadness that seemed to hang over them like a shadow.

They weren't out of danger. Not yet. Maya could feel it.

"What happened?" Maya whispered, her eyes scanning the dark woods around them. She saw Jackson's body in the distance—his chest still and lifeless.

"It's not over, Maya," Ellie said, her voice shaky but strong. "We stopped Jackson, but Black Sun... they're everywhere. They're waiting."

Maya's heart sank. Even after everything, it wasn't over.

"I thought it was," Maya said, her voice so small she could barely hear herself. "I thought we'd finally won."

Ellie gave a small, bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You were always too hopeful, Maya. Black Sun doesn't just end because we kill one man."

Maya let out a long breath, closing her eyes briefly. She had failed.

But no, she couldn't think that way. Not now. Not again.

"Is anyone else...?" Maya started, her voice faltering as she searched for the words. She couldn't bring herself to ask about Alex or Bishop, her heart already dreading the answer.

Ellie's face fell. She didn't need to answer. The look in her eyes was enough. The silence between them was suffocating.

"Bishop... he's hurt," Ellie said finally, her voice soft. "Alex... he's gone."

Maya felt like the ground was swept from beneath her. Alex? Gone?

Her mind raced, struggling to understand what Ellie was saying. Alex, the one who had been by her side through all of this, the one who had fought with her and for her—gone?

"No... no, no..." Maya's breath caught in her throat, and she clutched at Ellie's arm. "Tell me it's not true. Tell me it's a lie."

Ellie shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's true, Maya. He didn't make it. We... we couldn't save him."

The weight of those words hit Maya like a punch to the chest. Her vision blurred again, but this time it wasn't from the shock or the bullet wound. It was because of the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Alex was gone.

The team was falling apart. The people she had trusted, the people she had fought beside... they were slipping away one by one.

Maya wiped her eyes, feeling the sting of the loss, the aching emptiness in her chest. She couldn't let this break her, couldn't let it consume her. Not when there was still work to be done.

But how could she keep going?

"I can't lose anyone else, Ellie," Maya whispered, her voice barely audible, as though speaking it out loud made it all the more real. "I can't."

"You won't," Ellie whispered back. "We're still here. We still have each other. We're not alone."

Maya nodded slowly, but inside, she felt like the last shred of her hope had been ripped away. Alex had been her anchor, the one constant in a world that had been nothing but chaos. And now he was gone. His sacrifice was everything, but the hole it left in her heart was unbearable.

"Let's move," Maya said finally, her voice stronger now, but still heavy with grief. "We need to finish this. We have to end Black Sun."

Ellie didn't say anything, but she helped Maya to her feet, supporting her as they moved toward the wreckage of the vehicle. Bishop was still alive, but barely. His body was slumped against the side of the car, and his breath was shallow, his face pale.

"Maya," Ellie said quietly, "we have to get him to safety. He's in bad shape."

Maya nodded, her hands shaking as she knelt beside him, checking his pulse. He was still breathing, but barely.

"We'll get you out of here, Bishop," Maya said softly, the words almost a promise. "We won't leave you behind."

As they helped Bishop into the vehicle, Maya cast one last glance at the wreckage of Jackson's men. Their mission wasn't over, and the weight of everything—Alex's death, Bishop's injury, and the looming threat of Black Sun—pressed heavily on her chest.

But there was still hope. Just a spark. And that spark had to be enough to see them through.