NICO
The air around the ruins is heavy, my boots crunch over ash and the silence is deafening. The space looks bigger than I remember and more menacing.
Every step makes my stomach twist and I tighten my hold in Sasha's hand.
I stop outside the broken doorway, unable to move forward. The arch that once held the door is cracked and the wood is burned away.
My throat closes as memories flood me…
My body remembers everything, the sound of shoes pacing, the click of a lock turning. The thick suffocating incense and the echo of my own breath when I tried not to cry.
My knees almost buckle.
Sasha’s hand tightens around mine. “Breathe.” His voice is steady and low, like he’s not asking but commanding my body to obey. I suck in air through my nose and nod even though my heart pounds behind
