Chapter 6

Winter’s POV

The sound of people crying and sniffling and panicking overlapped, nearly deafening me. I was in no better condition myself. Shallow gasps were filling my lungs as panic threatened to overwhelm me.

A quarrel suddenly erupted among the group. A woman, her voice trembling with desperation, pleaded, “Please, my baby is out there somewhere! Let me go and look for her,” crying.

But the men and some others in the group shouted back in protest, “No! We can’t risk opening the door! No one’s going out, and no one’s coming in!”

Tears streamed down the woman’s face as she continued to beg, “Please, let me go get her…please….” The woman broke down with sobs.

The cries and pleas intertwined. Voices rose in heated exchanges as emotions ran high, each side grappling with the weight of their respective fears.

“Why did you leave your toddler behind in the first place? We can’t risk jeopardizing everyone’s safety for one person!” Another scolded