Two

Chapter Two

Estell's POV

I didn't know how long I had been unconscious.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself lying beneath broken concrete and pieces of debris. My entire body hurt, my clothes were burned in several places, and my palms were covered in blood. There was also a strange ringing in my ears, making it difficult to hear anything around me.

I struggled to move the concrete covering part of my body, but it took almost all the strength I had. After several attempts, I managed to free myself and crawl out.

The moment I looked around, my heart sank.

The place was almost unrecognizable.

Cars were burning along the road, several buildings had collapsed, and bodies were scattered everywhere. Thick smoke covered the sky, while small fires continued to burn among the broken buildings.

It was horrifying.

I tried to stand, but my legs couldn't support me. I fell back to the ground, groaning in pain.

For a moment, I simply sat there, staring at the destruction around me.

Was this really happening?

A few hours ago, I had been standing outside the Haven, begging the people I trusted to let me in. Now, almost everything around me had been destroyed.

I looked in the direction of the Haven.

The gates were still standing in the distance, but I couldn't tell what was happening inside. They had refused to let me in, and I had no way of knowing whether Thorne and Audrey were still alive.

I didn't want to think about them.

I had already suffered enough because of those two.

Slowly, I pushed myself up again, using a nearby piece of concrete for support. My body was aching, and every step sent pain through my legs, but I knew I couldn't remain there.

Staying in the open was dangerous.

I needed somewhere to sleep, somewhere I could protect myself, and most importantly, somewhere I could call home.

I looked around, trying to find a building that hadn't completely collapsed. Most of them were either burning or reduced to piles of rubble, but I couldn't afford to be picky.

I walked for some time until I noticed an unfinished building a short distance away.

It looked abandoned, with some parts of the walls still incomplete. However, it had a solid structure, and a portion of the roof was already in place. There were no doors or windows, but at least it wasn't completely exposed.

I stopped in front of it and examined the building.

"This will do," I muttered.

It wasn't perfect, but it was better than having nowhere to sleep.

I entered and looked around. There were pieces of wood, broken blocks, cement bags and other building materials scattered across the floor. Whoever had been constructing the place must have abandoned the work before it was completed.

I couldn't waste time wondering what had happened to the owner.

I needed to make use of what I had.

After checking that the structure was safe enough, I began clearing the space. My injured palms made the work difficult, but I wrapped them with pieces of cloth I found nearby and continued.

I moved the broken blocks away, gathered the useful pieces of wood and looked for anything I could use to cover the open spaces.

It took longer than I expected, especially because I was still weak from the explosion, but I refused to give up.

I wasn't going to sit around waiting for someone to rescue me.

Nobody was coming.

Thorne had made sure of that.

I paused when his face came to mind, remembering how easily he had admitted that he never loved me. I could still hear his words, and I could still see the way Audrey had stood beside him, smiling as though she had won something precious.

They had planned everything.

They had allowed me to believe I was going to be safe, knowing very well that I would be left outside when the disaster began.

I clenched my fingers, ignoring the pain in my palms.

I wasn't going to die because of them.

I had been given a second chance, and I intended to use it well.

If I had to survive alone, then so be it.

After clearing enough space, I found a relatively dry corner where I could sleep. I arranged some pieces of wood on the floor and covered them with an old piece of material I found among the building supplies.

It wasn't comfortable, but it would have to do for now.

My next problem was food and water.

I couldn't survive for long without them, so I decided to search the surrounding area before it became too dark.

I left the building carefully, keeping my eyes open as I walked through the damaged streets.

There were several abandoned vehicles, broken shops and fallen structures along the way. I checked a few places, hoping to find something useful, but most of the shops had already been destroyed.

I eventually found a small store that was still partly standing.

The entrance was blocked by some broken materials, but I managed to squeeze through a narrow opening. Inside, shelves had fallen over, and different items were scattered across the floor.

I searched through what remained, picking up a few canned foods, packets of biscuits and some bottled drinks.

They weren't much, but they were better than nothing.

I also found a small bag and placed the items inside before continuing my search.

Finding clean water was more difficult.

Several bottles had been broken, while some containers were buried beneath fallen shelves. I checked the back of the store and eventually found a few sealed bottles tucked inside a small storage space.

I took as many as I could carry.

By the time I returned to the unfinished building, my entire body was aching again. I dropped the bag on the floor and sat down, breathing heavily.

At least I had something to eat.

I opened one of the bottles and drank slowly. The water felt refreshing against my dry throat, and I didn't realize how thirsty I had been until then.

After drinking, I arranged the remaining bottles in one corner and placed the food beside them.

I looked around the building, trying to decide what else needed to be done.

The open spaces still needed to be covered, and I needed something better to sleep on. I also had to find proper clothes because the ones I was wearing were badly damaged.

There was so much to do.

But I would do it one step at a time.

I picked up another bottle of water and took a few more sips before placing it beside the others.

Just as I was about to stand, a deep male voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Who built a house on my land?"

I froze.

My hand tightened around the bottle as I slowly turned my head towards the entrance.

Who was that?