From the edge of death, something worse is born.

———

Lily’s POV

The silence is deafening, but this silence is mine. A stillness I don't recognize, one that coils itself around my chest and squeezes until nothing feels real.

My thoughts come in fragments, barely stringing themselves together. I don't know what to feel. Maybe I've gone numb. Maybe something inside me has finally broken.

I can't move.

I can't think.

I can't breathe.

Why am I still standing in this room?

Why haven't I screamed?

Why am I not running?

Why can I not look away from this gruesome sight?

My arms curl protectively around my children, their small...