The city was dead and quiet as they walked toward the distant wall. The streets were empty, with not a soul around. An eerie silence suffused the world, as if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere and somehow ended up in hell… if hell did exist, then Effie imagined it looking similar to this.
She had seen all kinds of horrors in her life, and the blackened ruins — collapsed buildings, bodies scattered in the dust, the smell of rot and ash permeating the air — were nothing new to her. The devastation itself was not hell… the knowledge of all the human pain, despair, and broken dreams that lay hidden under the rubble was.
Effie was glad that Morgan and Seishan had chosen to accompany her on this dreary walk. Otherwise, it would have felt too lonesome.
As they approached the city gate, however, the situation changed.
