EPISODE 4: THE BARN ## CHAPTER 1: THE APPROACH The Carmichael property sat at the edge of Millbrook, where the town dissolved into farmland and forgotten things. They approached at midnight, keeping to the tree line that bordered the old fields. No flashlights—Helen had been emphatic about that. The Great Receiver could sense electronic devices, could reach through them. Even a battery-powered flashlight might be enough to alert it. Maya led the way, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Behind her, Danny carried the fire axe, its weight making him struggle despite his determination. Tyler had the sledgehammer, and Jessica the crowbar. They looked like a ragtag demolition crew, which, in a way, they were. "There," Jessica whispered, pointing. The barn was visible against the night sky—a dark shape that seemed to absorb what little moonlight there was. It looked wrong, Maya thought. Not just old or abandoned, but wrong in a way she couldn't articulate. Like the building itself was watching them. "Remember the plan," she said softly. "Helen's distraction starts in ten minutes. We wait until the guards respond, then we go in through the side door." "What if there are more guards than she expected?" "Then we improvise." They crept closer, finding cover behind a rusted-out tractor that had been left to decay in the field....