As confusion lingered in my mind, I kept moving because my mother was somewhere across the city, and standing there staring at bodies would not get me any nearer to her.Blood had soaked through the makeshift pad inside my jeans, while every step brought another cramp through my lower abdomen. My lip throbbed where Rafe had split it, my ribs hurt whenever I moved too quickly, and my entire body begged for rest that I could not afford to give it.I pulled out my phone and called Mom.The screen searched for a connection before the call failed, so I tried again while continuing down the street. When that did not work, I called my best friend, then the neighbor who checked on Mom whenever I worked late, but none of the calls connected, and the signal bars had disappeared completely.“Come on, Mom,” I whispered, pressing her number again even though I already knew what the screen would show.The call failed like the others, so I shoved the phone into my pocket and continued toward her nei
Last Updated : 2026-09-29
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