Page 77 of Snowman

"No."

My voice was barely above a whisper. "That's impossible."

"Thor, I'm looking at her. I'm looking at her body."

The phone slipped out of my hand and fell onto the seat. I didn't reach for it. My hands found the wheel instead. The car swerved as I spun it around, tires screeching on the cold road ahead. I floored it, the needle climbing past 200 kilometers per hour, the engine roaring as the road blurred ahead of me.

I had to see it for myself. I couldn't believe it. Not her. Not like this.

How do you even begin to process losing someone? She was my mom, but she wasn't a perfect mother. She stood by me when I needed her most, silent when I begged for help without saying a word. She saved me in her way, but she also let me suffer. There was love there, but it was buried under so much anger, resentment, words we had never said.

And now she was gone.

"Fuck!" I yelled, slamming my hand against the steering wheel. The sting shot up my arm, but it wasn't enough to drown out the storm in my chest. I hit it again. And again.

I had just seen her. That morning, she'd been right there. How could this be real?

I blinked hard, my vision swimming. This wasn't just about her. It was everything. Everyone. People around me kept dying, slipping through my fingers no matter how hard I tried to hold on. I was always too late. Always too helpless.

"Fuck," I muttered this time.

Lena was gone.

And I couldn't save her.

The farm was gone. Nothing but gray ash stretched across the land. It was all gone. Only the stable stood intact, a few pigs wandered near, their snorts and shuffle the only sounds breaking the silence.

Erik sat on the wooden fence, staring at the pigs and what was left of the farm. He was still, sunglasses hiding his face, but I knew him well enough to read the slump in his shoulders. Erik never wore sunglasses. Not unless he was trying to hide the tears.

"Hey," I said quietly, walking over and sitting next to him on the fence.

He didn't look at me, just let out a small laugh. "Had to tell them not to touch the pigs. Told them I would shoot the first one who tried."

"Yeah," I said. "You should've just told them you're emotionally attached."

He huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "If they knew what those pigs ate... they would have backed away without me saying a word."

I raised an eyebrow. "No evidence yet in the pig shit?"

His smile fainted, "She burned alive, Thor."

I froze.

"Who did this?"

"They haven't told anyone yet, but I've got a bad feeling. I think... Mom was involved. Ingrid was Donna's cousin."

My stomach turned. "Are you saying Donna and Jan had something to do with this?"

"Yeah," he said, finally looking at me. His jaw was tight, his voice low. "Everyone knows Jan's been screwing Donna. They probably cooked this up together."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "And everyone knew why women went to Lena. She helped them, so they decided to burn a witch."

I let the words sink in, staring at the ashed ruins. "Do you know where they are?"

"No," he said. "And we can't risk it. Frida's all over everyone since Isak got arrested."

The snow under my boots crunched as I shifted. My hands were clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms.

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