*Lena*

How long did it take to regain some semblance of calm? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care enough to track time. All I knew was that the house had fallen into an unnerving stillness. The sharp scent of bleach clung to the air, mingling with dust, blood, and the faint tang of sweat.

My fingers, raw and bloodied, tightened around the glass shard in my hand. It hurt, but the pain felt like it belonged to someone else. Everything felt distant ...