The Nation - Collection Two

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, skeletal shadows across the ravaged landscape. Exhaustion clung to them like a second skin, a heavy weight pressing down on their already burdened spirits. They had escaped the mall, a claustrophobic tomb that had become both sanctuary and prison, but the freedom felt bittersweet. The price of safety had been steep, paid in blood and sorrow. Billy's absence hung heavy in the air, a gaping wound in their fragile unity.

They huddled together, fin...