Page 257 of Eternal
He came back. He brought my bike. He remembered what I liked.
And then he left again, like the point wasn’t to talk. Just to show me.
Why me?
Do I even deserve that?
Can I trust him?
I don’t know.
I don’t want to know.
I sit back in the chair, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing on my shoulders as I stare at the files on my screen. The church. The mission. The reason I’m here. Every detail, every lead, it all comes down to this.
I’ve been at this for years. I’ve hunted people, erased people, and now I’m hunting the ones who believe they’re untouchable. The powerful, the hidden ones who think they’re above the law. The church is just another front, another well-oiled machine disguised as charity and faith. They think they can hide behind it, but I’ll find the cracks.
Kat came through again. She sent me more photos of the “Gathering of the Chosen” church, this time from old events. The photos are blurry, grainy, old, but they're telling. Every gala, every ceremony, the same faces keep popping up. Rich men. Powerful men. Politicians, CEOs, people I’ve seen in high society. Names I’ve crossed off my list of targets before.
But there’s one name I can’t ignore. One face that’s there in the background of every photo. It’s subtle, hidden, but it’s always there.
A girl.
At first, I didn’t think much of it. Just another kid in the background of these pictures. But as I look closer, I see her in every single photo from every single gala. At first, she’s a little girl, maybe eight years old, standing behind the pastor, a man with a kind face and a commanding presence, someone who looks like he belongs in front of a congregation, spreading the word. But something about him doesn’t sit right. He’s the type of man who knows how to make people trust him, how to make them feel safe, only to use that trust against them.
I keep flipping through the photos, and I notice something about this girl. She’s there, year after year. A kid. Then a teenager. Then... she disappears.
One of the most recent photos, taken about fifteen years ago, is the last one I can find of her. She’s in the background, standing behind the pastor just like the others, but after that? Nothing.
Where did she go?
I run her face through my face recognition system. And a name pops up. Lena Braxton. Nothing after that last picture.
I sit back, massaging my temples. I know this feeling. It’s that itch, that nagging feeling that I’m almost there. I don’t believe in coincidences, especially not in cases like this. This girl, she was there, in every single photo, until she wasn’t.
There’s a story there, and I need to find it.
I pull up my phone and send a quick message to Brian, Zanae’s friend.
Me
Hey, it’s Voron. Can I ask for your help if you're free?
The seconds feel like minutes as I wait for a reply, but then the message pops up.
Brian
Sure, what’s up?
I pause, thinking for a moment. I can’t go into too much detail. Not yet. But I need help, and I need it fast. So, I will explain the basics.
Me
I’m looking into a girl who was at the Gathering of the Chosen church for years, in photos dating back about 20 years. She was in every gala, but then she disappeared about 15 years ago. Her name was Lena Braxton. I can't find anything on her after that. Do you think you could dig into it?
Brian responds almost immediately.
Brian
