ALAENA’S POV
The sky was an unnatural shade of gray, thick with the scent of burning wood and something far worse—something acrid.
Snowflakes drifted down from above, coating the ground in a deceptive layer of purity, masking the blood and the bodies that littered the village.
I was running.
My breath came in ragged gasps, my legs burning with the effort, but I didn’t dare stop.
A strange, distorted whirring sound filled my ears, pressing against my skull. I winced, scratching at the side of my head, trying to clear the noise.
A scream tore through the air.
I turned just in time to see a man—his clothes engulfed in flames—stagger past me, his eyes wide with a horror I couldn’t comprehend.
He didn’t make it far before collapsing, the fire consuming him as he writhed against the sn
