?Chapter 2848:
As sleep tugged at him, his thoughts drifted to Phillips. How was the search going? And what about Ernest and Ellis?
Phillips returned in the early hours.
Eric rose at once, careful not to disturb Hadley.
“How did it go?” he asked quietly.
Phillips shook his head.
“No leads yet. The vigers are scattered so far apart… We didn’t have enough time to check them all.”
He’d brought one team back to rest while another stayed out, rotating shifts to preserve their strength.
“Here.” Phillips handed him a folded slip of paper.
Eric opened it to find a list of nearby viges.
“The ones crossed out have already been checked.”
“Got it.” Eric folded the list neatly.
“You should get some sleep.”
“Alright.”
Eric returned to his room.
Two hourster, dawn began to seep into the sky. He wondered if Hadley was awake yet.
Almost on cue, two soft knocks came from the wall. Her voice followed, hushed and tentative.
“Eric? Are you awake?”
“Yes,” he called back, a hint of cheer in his voice.
“I’m up!”
He stepped out quickly and knocked on her door.
“Hadley?”
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“One moment!” she answered, flustered.
“I’m not dressed yet.”
“No rush,” Eric reassured her.
“Take your time. I’ll go downstairs, boil some water, and start breakfast.”
With that, he headed down.
By the time Hadley came downstairs, the kettle was already steaming.
“Go freshen up,” he said.
“Okay.”
When she returned, Eric had breakfastid out—toast stuffed with bacon and freshly fried eggs.
“Eat,” he said, handing her a cup of coffee as well.
They sat facing each other, eating in silence.
“Phillips came back just before dawn,” Eric said atst, passing her the list.
“These are the households he covered. Once we finish, we’ll pick up where he left off.”
“Alright.”
After breakfast, they set out again.
The rugged mountain paths were too narrow for cars, forcing them to continue on foot.
.
.
.