The casualty statistic was a rather larger number than Dora expected to see. It left her momentarily speechless, her fingers frozen over the screen as she tried to make sense of what she was reading. Dora was supposed to leave the house like usual the next day to see her stepmother, but instantly she decided that the risk wasn't worth it. The thought of stepping outside filled her with unease.
Moreover, the fear had already taken root in her heart the night before as she slept. Even in her dreams, unease had curled around her mind like a shadow. By the time she woke up, she had already decided—quietly, firmly—that she would look out for her own interests first before anyone else's.
