Morne's face was streaked with tears and soot, his eyes so red and swollen he could barely open them. His already tattered clothes were now covered in even more stains and scorch marks from flying embers.
He threw his head back, his frail body trembling violently from his sobs and exertion as his fingers clenched the sleeve of the Guard's specially-made gray uniform.
His knuckles were white from the pressure, as if the sleeve were the last, illusory link connecting him to his departed loved ones.
"No... please don't..."
Morne was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe, yet he stubbornly refused to let go, his voice filled with despair.
"They're my mom and dad... I can't just let them disappear like this... Please... I just want one look... Just let me see which two they are... Let me remember what they looked like at the end..."
Despite Morne's tearful pleas and tugging, the Guard did not immediately show any crude impatience.
