Silence.

That was the first thing Vera noticed — not the absence of sound, but the kind that rang inside her head, too deep, too hollow.

Then came the smell — ash and ozone, like burned electricity.

Her eyes fluttered open to a world of gray. The cathedral above was gone; the ceiling had collapsed, leaving a jagged opening where the sky bled faint dawn light. The air shimmered with falling dust, each particle catching the light like snow.

Vera tried to move. Pain ripped through her ribs, ...