The Galeries Lafayette stretched before them like a ghost of its former grandeur. Art nouveau railings curved along each floor, their brass dulled by weeks without maintenance. Designer boutiques lined the circular halls - Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton - their displays frozen mid-season behind bulletproof glass. The central atrium soared upward ten stories, crowned by the famous glass dome now coated in city grime.
Digital price tags still glowed on shelves stripped bare by looters and evacuation teams. Mannequins posed in winter collections that would never sell, while holographic mirrors waited to show customers outfits they'd never try on. Escalators stood motionless between floors, and decorative fountains had run dry, leaving only water stains on marble.
