BEAU POV
Upon returning to the packhouse, a heavy, unsettling silence enveloped me, the absence of chatter and laughter signaling that everyone had evacuated the shelter beneath the building. A wave of unease washed over me as I realized I had no idea where my parents were; surely they were tending to Cole, who remained in the hospital.
I ascended the staircase, the familiar creaking of the wooden steps echoing in the stillness, and pushed open the door to my expansive bedroom at the top of the house. The room felt like a comforting cocoon, adorned with deep azure walls that cloaked the space in a soothing darkness—just how I preferred it when I needed to escape into sleep. My mother had truly outdone herself with the decor; tasteful accents and carefully chosen furnishings filled the ro
