The first thing I felt was the cold.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Just the terrible, unnatural sensation of my body becoming part of the frozen pavement beneath me.
I opened my eyes to a narrow alley behind a deserted shopping center.
Snowflakes drifted through the darkness, settling on my bare legs.
My dress was torn, one sleeve hung from my shoulder, and my feet were completely numb.
For several seconds, I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there.
Then I remembered my mother’s face.
And the sound of my little sister laughing while I begged for my life.
