
as if the tears had been beaten out of him along with any semblance of hope. The old barn offered him some solace, though: a sanctuary of sorts, away from Sara’s wrath. But even here, the silence was loud.
Under the dim light of the moon slipping through the cracks in the barn walls, a pair of eyes glimmered. It was the K9, a retired service dog named Valor. Valor had been brought to the farm by Isaac’s late father, a soldier who spoke softly and carried a heart full of stories. The dog, with a coat as black as midnight and eyes that were pools of untold wisdom, had seen more than any creature should. Valor had been there when Isaac’s world was whole, and he remained now in its fractured state.
