First message
The world had already fallen apart. Two days in, the streets were wrecked—cars abandoned, windows shattered, the air thick with smoke and something worse. The noise came in bursts now—distant screams, then silence that felt heavier than anything. Leo hadn’t planned on stopping. He was cutting through the block, alert, knife at his side, gun within reach. Then he saw her. Small. By herself. He stopped immediately. “…Hey,” he called, voice low so he wouldn’t scare her.