The closer Jayden moved toward Melinda's apartment complex, the heavier his chest felt.
The district had not been spared during the invasion. Entire sections of the street were cracked open like broken ribs. Vehicles lay overturned and burned. The once familiar skyline of her neighborhood now looked distorted, wounded, barely recognizable beneath smoke and dust.
Her building stood ahead.
Or rather, what remained of it.
Half of the upper floors had collapsed inward, the structure leaning at a dangerous angle as though one more impact would send it crumbling completely. Concrete slabs hung precariously. Glass littered the ground like frozen rain.
Jayden slowed as he approached.
For the first time since the invasion began, hesitation touched him.
He did not call her name.
He did not want to hear silence answer back.
