Skyline of Ash and Echoes – story-veterans.com

By dawn, the fire’s fury had faded to a stubborn, smoldering wound, but the city it left behind felt like a place between worlds. Sirens quieted into a distant hum, replaced by the shuffle of footsteps over glass and ash. People searched the ruins with slow, deliberate care, scanning faces, doorways, and lists, bracing for names they loved and outcomes they couldn’t control.