The final night came not with warning but with confirmation.

Reports spread that coordinated action was underway across multiple regions. Police and military were entering neighborhoods, tracking down and arresting Jehovah’s Witnesses wherever they could be found. The wording on the broadcasts was clinical. Necessary. Protective. Peacekeeping.

The reality behind the language was simpler.

The attack had begun.

At the Morales home, lights were kept low. No one spoke above a murmur. Nathan sat between Sasha and Elena on the sofa, his stuffed dinosaur and Jack’s flashlight both tucked under one arm as though he had decided he might need everything that had ever comforted him.

Jack remained too. He had refused to leave once it became clear what was unfolding.