ZION EMBERTHORN

My ears were ringing, a deafening silence that blocked out the world, leaving me alone in my despair.

My hand trembled as I pressed it against Aliyah’s bloody belly, her warmth seeping through the slick coat of blood that now covered my palm like a cruel reminder of the life slipping away beneath it.

I could barely breathe, my heart clenched painfully as I watched her, her eyes fluttering open, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Her lips parted in ...