Chapter 9

Winter’s POV

Never had I imagined that the village, which I had yearned to explore as time went by, would become such a harrowing tableau. The scenes were too gruesome, too heart-wrenching for me to bear. This was not the picture I had painted in my mind when I had dreamed of venturing into the unknown parts of our world when it was unadulterated.

Unable to stomach the sight any longer, I closed the window, now turning my attention to the insides of the carriage and the wall in front of me. All in an attempt to block out the horrors that still flickered in my mind’s eye.

It had been six days of traveling. Six days into the unknown. I opened my eyes, my sense of time skewed from days and nights spent on the move. I tossed on the mat and the rough fabric beneath me. Then I mustered the energy to sit up, rubbing my eyes sleepily.

I was in the confines of my assigned tent.

Dim light from the crackling fire outside permeated my tent, causing shadows t