~Abigail's POV~
"Mum! Mum, no!"
The scream rips out of my throat so hard it burns. My mother is running toward me, barefoot, terrified, her breaths ragged. Behind her, Taro barrels after us, a gun clutched in his shaking hand.
"Get back here, bitch!"
He looks unhinged, his eyes bloodshot, his face twisted in rage. I can't stop screaming as Mum scoops me into her arms, tears streaming down her face. One of her eyes is swollen shut.
"Where are your siblings?" she pants, sprinting down the hallway with me clinging to her.
"Under my bed. I lock in."
"Good, good, that's—"
A gunshot detonates behind us.
The sound freezes my blood. I twist in her arms just in time to see Taro, arm outstretched, aiming the gun directly at her back.
Mum stops. Her body jerks. A strangled choke escapes her.
"No...no, no…"
She drops me. I hit the floor hard and scramble to her as she collapses, coughing blood, tears slipping down her cheeks.
I know. I know what this means.
