sa

. I felt myself slipping, the pain receding, a welcome numbness

against the fading light. A voice, youn

? Are yo

treaked with tears, swam into view. A boy, no older than Jax, maybe a year

nyone behind," he mumbled, his voice

as a fierce determination in his young eyes. He looked like he' d

hispered, each word an effort. My

s gone." His voice broke, but he quickly wiped his nose with the back of

e. He grabbed my arm, his tiny fingers surp

d in protest. My heart stuttered, sending a fr

gasped, the world spi

tugging harder. "Just a litt

to crawling, relying on a child younger than my own son. The hum

s, sharp shards of glass and twisted metal tearing at my clothes, scraping my skin. The dust made every breath a struggle. T

voice hoarse, his small face red with e

lve was a lifeline in the suffocating darkness. He w

nto the relative open, the acrid air still thick but breathable. The stre

stumbled. His small legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the dusty

ice still weak, but a surge of con

u... you need a doctor," he wheezed, pointing towards

e. This child, who had just lost his own grandmother, who wa

tears finally stinging my eyes

ndma... she didn' t make it." The words were raw, laced with unspeakable grief, but he held back his tea

os, yet he had saved me. His bravery, his selflessness, it pierced through the years of emotional numbness I

gently cupping his face, ignoring the dirt. "You s

, then leaned into it,

lse, do you?" I asked, my

looking away. "N

e mix of desperation, gratitude, and a profound sense of connection. "C

don' t have to do that. I can... I can go to a shelter. I don' t want to be a trou

th with every word. "You are the bravest, kindest person I have

eeling a strange, unfamiliar warmth. "I promise, Keyla. You' ll never be al

ing his lips. He clung to me, his fragile hope palpable. This was a new beg