The trees blur around me, every step pulling me closer to the vision I’ve dreaded. Caden runs beside me, his steps in sync with mine, his energy feeding into me like a second heartbeat. We don’t speak. We don’t need to.
The moment the clearing opens up, I stop dead.
My knees hit the earth before I even realize I’ve fallen.
They’re here.
I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can only feel.
They hang from the thick branches like butchered game. Ten children. Ten tiny bodies. Their necks limp, arms swaying slightly in the breeze. They’ve stripped the clearing of everything beautiful and made it a monument to pain.
Around us, warriors stumble into the clearing. Screams echo—raw, broken, primal. Men cry out and try to shield their mates’ eyes, but it’s too late. The horror has already rooted
