Chapter – Into the Ashes

The fall felt endless.

My scream caught in my throat as darkness swallowed me. Dust and wood fragments whirled around, blinding, choking—then, with a brutal thud, my body slammed onto something solid. The pain ricocheted through my spine and stole the air from my lungs.

Everything went black for a moment.

When I came to, I was lying on cold concrete, the air thick with the sharp scent of smoke and mold. My ears rang, my head spun, and my right shoulder ached like hell. I blinked, squinting through the haze.

A basement.

No—more like a catacomb. Crumbling stone walls, low ceilings, old wiring. I...