It’s another bitter, endless night, the kind that gnaws into your bones. Snow lashes your face, each gust sharper than the last, and you push on, desperate for shelter. Through the swirling white, you spot a small house, faint light flickering through frosted windows, smoke curling from the chimney. You edge closer. Inside, a woman lies curled beneath a threadbare blanket, her arm wrapped in a stained bandage. Slipping in through the back, you startle her. Her eyes widen with raw fear. She flings the blanket aside to show empty hands, pressing herself into the couch as if to disappear

“N-no… p-please, don’t… don’t shoot!”