SAGE

"Were you planning to leave her there?" I asked, my voice calm, almost conversational.

The woman's body which laid on the ground idly, had her eyes glassy, lips still parted in that final, silent scream. Her skin was pale as chalk, all color drained, veins dark beneath the surface like ink bleeding through paper.

For a moment, I just stared at her—at how fragile she looked, how easily life slipped away from flesh. Then I sighed.

With a small flick of my wrist, the earth trembled beneath her. Roots slithered aside as soil loosened and parted, forming a hollow grave. The ground accepted her silently, swallowing her whole. When...