Quinn lay sprawled in the snow, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The cold bit into his skin, but the pain from the beating he had just endured was far worse. Blood trickled from a cut above his eye, mingling with the snow beneath him. His vision blurred, and he struggled to stay conscious, every muscle in his body screaming in agony.

The world around him was eerily silent, the only sound the faint rustling of the wind through the trees. He tried to move, but his body refused to cooperate. The group that had jumped him had been relentless, leaving him battered and broken.

Just as darkness threatened to overtake him, he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching. A figure emerged from the shadows, a stranger bundled in a heavy coat and scarf. The stranger knelt beside Quinn, their eyes widening in shock at the sight of him.