My breath hitched, a sharp sound breaking from my throat as my entire body tightened against the pain.
“No—” I gasped, doubling slightly. “Not now...”
But there was no stopping it.
The next wave followed quickly.
And the next.
Closer. Stronger. Relentless.
Between each contraction, I felt it—
Pressure.
Low. Deep.
My baby was descending.
Too fast.
Panic surged again, clawing its way up my chest.
“I can’t...” I whispered, shaking my head weakly as my teeth chattered uncontrollably.“I can’t last in here...”
I looked around the room again.
The bodies. The frost.
The words carved into every surface like a curse that had no end.
No escape.
My breathing turned shallow.
What if I couldn’t survive this?
What if he didn’t?
My baby—
My child—
Growing inside me.
Alive. Dependent.
And completely at the mercy of this freezing hell.
“I won’t die here,” I forced out through clenched teeth, my voice breaking but firm. “I won’t.”
Another contraction tore through me.
I cried out, gripping my stomach tightly as pain spiked through my abdomen and radiated down into my lower body.
“Ah—!”
My legs trembled beneath me.
