Retaliation

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Kathleen was sitting on the couch with Flash on her lap, who seemed to be slightly shaken, but she didn't know why. When she took him out of the house, he was fine and his normal self, but at home, she would sometimes wake up to see Flash staring at something in the room or he would bark and bark.

 It was getting bothersome, but Kathleen ignored it. Flash was still a puppy, so he must've been curious. Kathleen's phone started to ring from the kitchen; she set down Flash and went to pick up the phone.

 "He-"

 "Kathleen? Kathleen, are you home right now?" Samira sounded anxious, and Kathleen could hear the television in the background.

 "Um, yes, I am. Why?" Kathleen leaned against the kitchen counter. 

"You need to go to the news channel; just turn it on." Samira urged. 

Confused, Kathleen went back to the living room and switched the channel. There on TV were Officer Ruiz and a couple other officers; they looked like they were at a crime scene.

 "You say you found a body here last night, sir?" The reporter asked, shoving her microphone in Ruiz's face. 

"Yes, near the curfew last night, a camper who was camping in these woods found a body not too far from them." Ruiz looked withdrawn and obviously tired. 

"Is there possibly a chance of it being a missing person, Zack Bianchi to be exact?" The reporter asked looking at Ruiz. 

"We can't say, but we will look into it. I suggest everyone still follow the curfew, and if anyone has any information, please call us." Ruiz seemed to be looking at the camera; he looked apologetic.

 Kathleen's heart was pounding frantically in her chest, and her throat felt like it was growing tighter. She didn't want to believe the possibility that it could be Zack; it couldn't be. Kathleen sat down shakily, her phone gripped tightly in her hand. She was trying to calm her heart.

 "Kathleen, Kathleen, are you still there?" Samira asked, sounding concerned. 

Kathleen tried to make a sound, but nothing came out. She could feel the tears threatening to spill over. 

"I'm coming over." Samira said before hanging up. 

Kathleen dropped her phone in that moment and began to cry, rocking herself back and forth. No sound came out even as she tried to scream; nothing would come out. Flash waddled to her and licked at her hand and barked, but Kathleen didn't pay attention to him; her vision was clouded by her tears. She felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces, her chest was hurting, and her breathing started to become ragged.

 Kathleen tried to calm her breathing by taking deep breaths, she couldn't lose hope; she had to still believe that her little boy had to still be out there. One day he would just walk into the house and hug her, teasing her about worrying too much. 

There was a knock at the door, and Kathleen jolted. She wiped her tears as best she could, and when she opened the door, she saw Samira. 

"Oh Kathleen." Samira spoke softly, reached out, and hugged her. 

That made Kathleen burst into tears once more, and this time a sound did come out, a mixture between a wail and a scream. Her heart started to break again as she cried, with Samira holding her up and patting her back. Kathleen continued to cry for a very long time as she clung to Samira like a child who was afraid to let go.

 Kathleen started to pray. She prayed that Zack was okay and that he would come home to her and that, wherever he was, he was safe. She was desperate; she couldn't lose Zack; he was the only thing that mattered to her, the only person she had left. Once Kathleen had cried enough and had calmed down, she and Samira stood up and sat down at the kitchen table.