Chapter 49 Blood In The Snow

• The days blurred into one another, each one colder than the last. The city of Talawan lay buried beneath endless snow, and the only signs of life were the drifting smoke from scattered chimneys and the footprints of scavengers desperate enough to risk the cold.
• Lucy and Daren had lived under the same roof for weeks now, sharing space without ever truly sharing themselves. Conversations were brief and necessary. Most of what passed between them was gestures — a nod, a spare tool handed over, a warning glance before a dangerous street crossing.
• At night, when Daren slept, Lucy would slip away, leaving behind the frost-bitten world for a place untouched by the Freeze. But no one, not even Daren, knew where she went.