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.
Yet amid the wreckage, something unbroken took root. Power cords stretched between strangers’ windows. Fold-out tables appeared on sidewalks, piled with water, blankets, and steaming food.
