Calloused

27

"We need to move her." A woman's voice whispered. My eyes fluttered open to see my mother.

"Mama?" I said, my voice hoarse and dry.

"Shh, mi amor." She whispered, quieting me.

"Here, she's probably parched." The woman whispered, putting something in my mouth.

I looked down to see a styrofoam cup with a straw. I took a slow sip, feeling groggy and weak.

"Vincent is here. We have to stay quiet." My mother explained. Panic and fear were written all over her face. I looked down and glared at the cup.

"I need to go help, I need to -" My words feel short as I bit back a pained groan. I had forgotten I had been injured earlier in the night.

"I was just with your friends. They're on the top floor. I came down here to help move you to the room when your mother found me first." The doctor smiled sadly.

"I haven't seen your father since he left to go find them either." My mother's eyes were watering.

"Are there others?" I asked, struggling to sit up.

"We brought our men, but I'm not sure how many Vincent has with him." My mother sniffled.

"We can move you to the basement. It's just two floors below. They won't think to look for you there." The doctor spoke up.

"Let's go then. The last thing we need is me getting taken. Or my mother." I agreed. I used all of my strength to swing my legs to the edge of the hospital bed. They brought a wheel chair over and helped me get in.

"Here, just in case." My mother whispered as she slid a gun into my hand. I took it and tucked it underneath my arm. I nodded to her as the doctor poked her head out of the room.

"Let's move." She whispered. The hallway was dark, like someone had killed the lights.

We stayed silent as we made our way to the elevators. It was erie, no nurses or patients were around.

Once we were to the elevator, we tried the buttons, but nothing happened.

"We're gonna have to take the stairs." The Doctor whispered.

We made a turn and continued down another hallway. We heard distant footsteps behind us.

"Quickly." The doctor urged us as we entered the emergency stairs. Just as she was about to follow, a man's voice called from be hind her.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" He barked.

"Get her down the stairs. There's a door with a code. 1996. It will keep you locked away until this is all over. Your father will know the code." She said quickly.

"Bitch I'm talking to you!" He was getting close.

"Go, I will keep them away as long as I can." She smiled, squeezing my hand before closing the door behind her.

I couldn't speak, stunned. She was helping us, why?

I stood up from the wheel chair, my body weak. I wrapped my arm around my mother as she helped me climb down the stairs. I gripped the railing for support. We were two flights down when we heard the sound of gun fire.

"We're almost there." My mother said, her voice shaking. She was afraid, but she still continued on.

"I see the doors." I whispered. We were only 20 feet away. We heard the door slam open and footsteps running behind us. We sped up and reached the door. My mother tried to put the code in, her hands shaking.

On the third attempt, I took over for her.

"1996." I whispered as I pressed the buttons. The door clicked open.

"Stop!" A man's voice yelled after us. My mother and I threw ourselves into the safety of the panic room. The door slammed shut behind us as bullets hit the large steel door.

"Just in time." I laughed, catching my breath. I turned to my mother as she smiled at me.

"Whatever happens, I want you to know I love you." She had tears in her eyes.

I gave her a confused look.

"Mama, what are you-" I couldn't finish my sentence as I noticed blood soaking through her white dress shirt. She had been hit in her stomach.

"We were safe. How did this happen?" I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"It's okay, mi amor. Everything will be okay." She smiled weakly. I pressed my hands to her stomach, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

I helped her scoot back so she was resting against the wall for more support.

"Please hurry, Papa." I begged, holding my hands steady.

"He's not gonna make it in time. I need my purse." She groaned, trying to reach forward.

"Let me get it. I need you to keep pressure here." I directed her as I put her hands where mine had been on her stomach.

I crawled a few feet away to retrieve her purse. I grabbed it and handed it to her.

While she went through it, I put my hands back on her bleeding wound.

"I opened an account for you when you were small. Your father knows about it. We also got these for you and H just in case things went crazy." My mother pulled out an envelope, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"It has.. everything you need." She slurred. I looked down. My hands were covered in a crimson, sticky mess.

Her blood was all over the floor.

"Mama, please. Don't leave me." I cried.

"I love you, mi amor." She whispered one last time before her hands fell limp. Her head fell to the side as I couldn't stop the sobs that erupted from my throat.

"You're not dead, please! You have to wake up! We need you! I need you!" I screamed out in agony. I pulled her body close to me. My chest and throat stung. I couldn't stop screaming. Even if we weren't the perfect mother or daughter pair, she was still my mama. She was the one who brought me into the world.

My sobbs eventually stopped as a numbness took over my body. I sat there on the floor for hours, waiting for someone to save us.

But it was far too late, she was gone.