The world had ended, and no one seemed to notice.

The guards’ hands dug into my arms as they hauled me backward, their voices a blur of commands and curses, but all I could see was Rick’s body slumped in the shadows of the cell. All I could hear was the silence that screamed louder than any battle cry. He was gone.

My throat was raw from screaming, my body trembling violently as I struggled against them. “Let me go! Please, let me go back to him!” My words fractured into sobs.

...