The group huddled in the shadow of a crumbling wall, White's laboratory could be seen looming in the distance. Dust hung in the air, catching the fading light as the sun dipped below the horizon. Each minute stretched longer than the last, the silence between them thick with unspoken thoughts.
Ella stood apart, her boots scuffing the dirt as she paced on a single, narrow path. Her eyes, wide with anxiety, flicked repeatedly toward the lab's entrance, willing for Dave to just appear. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, betraying the turmoil she tried to suppress.
"It's been almost an hour," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. Her voice trembled, barely audible over the distant hum of the wind.
Eric leaned against a rusted pipe, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Though he maintained a facade of calm, his foot tapped an erratic rhythm against the ground. He glanced at Ella, then at the lab, his brow furrowed with concern.
