A Cold Culling

Astrid

My fucking sock is wet again.

I shift my weight on the frozen grass, my toes going numb inside my worn leather boot. The icy slush from the dirt road has seeped through the cracked sole, chilling my skin. The harsh night air bites at my exposed cheeks. We have been standing out here on the chilly lawn outside the mayor’s opulent office since well past sundown, shivering in the dark.

My