**Chapter 1: The Cost of Salvation**

Gracie's eyes fluttered open, her brown gaze unfocused as she lay on the dusty, blood-stained ground. She was vaguely aware of Zatz's panicked face hovering above her, his eyes wild with fear. "Gracie, mi amor, stay with me! Please don't leave me!" Zatz's voice was shaking as he gently lifted her into his arms. Gracie's vision began to clear, and she saw the lifeless look in Zatz's eyes, the pale color of his skin. She knew she had to act fast. With a Herculean effort, she summoned the last vestiges of her strength and grabbed Zatz's face, her fingers digging into his cheeks. "Zatz, no! You have to get out of here! I'm...I'm okay," Gracie lied, her voice weak but insistent. But it was too late. Zatz had already been shot, and Gracie knew she had to save him. She ripped off her shirt, using it to apply pressure to his wound. The bleeding slowed, but Gracie knew she had to get Zatz to a hospital, and fast. In a desperate bid to save his life, Gracie used her own body to shield Zatz from further harm, taking a bullet meant for him. She felt a searing pain in her left eye, and everything went dark. When Gracie came to, she was in Zatz's arms, being carried towards their home. She could feel his warm breath on her face, his tears falling onto her skin. As they entered the house, their two-year-old son, Mateo, looked up from his playtime, his big brown eyes taking in the sight of Gracie's blood-covered clothing and her empty eye socket. A small cry escaped his lips as he took in the horror of his mother's condition. "¡Dios mío, Gracie! Mi amor!" Zatz exclaimed, his voice cracking with fear. Gracie tried to speak, but all that came out was a pained whisper. "Zatz...my eye..." Zatz gently laid her down on the couch, his hands shaking as he began to clean her wound. "I'm so sorry, Gracie. I'll get you to a hospital, but I have to cauterize this wound first. I don't want you to bleed out." Gracie's eyes widened as Zatz pulled out a hot poker from the fireplace, the smell of burning flesh and hair filling the air. She screamed as he applied it to her eye socket, the pain like nothing she had ever experienced before. Mateo, sensing his mother's distress, ran to her side, climbing onto the couch beside her. He wrapped his small arms around her, holding her close as he began to cry. "Mi amor, mi corazón," Zatz whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I'm so sorry, Gracie. I'll make it right, I promise." As Zatz worked on suturing up Gracie's socket, the messy stitching job a testament to his lack of medical training, Gracie could feel her eyes welling up with tears. She was in agony, but it was Mateo's small body shaking with sobs that broke her heart. "Zatz, stop...please," Gracie begged, her voice hoarse from screaming. But Zatz couldn't stop, not yet. He had to save her, had to make her whole again. As he worked, Mateo continued to comfort Gracie, holding her close and whispering "Mamá, Mamá" over and over, his small body a warm, comforting presence amidst the chaos. The sound of Zatz's own tears falling onto Gracie's skin was a reminder that he was crying too, his usual strong facade crumbling in the face of his wife's suffering. As the minutes ticked by, Gracie's vision began to blur, her body going into shock. She knew she was losing her left eye, and the thought was almost too much to bear. But with Mateo's small arms around her, and Zatz's desperate attempts to save her, Gracie found the strength to keep going, to endure the pain and the horror, for the people she loved most in this world.