The wind howled that night like a wounded beast, echoing the screams trapped in my throat. Rain lashed on my bare skin. Each drop felt like a needle on my skin.

My feet were bare and numb against the wet grass; the world before me was a blur with swaying trees and shadows.

Just like my future, dark, endless, and uncertain. Tears escaped my eyes, mixing with the droplets of rain. As if the sky itself wept for my battered soul.

Their faces and voices haunted me, waiting to swallow me whole. ...