Massacre survivors, Sam and Tara Carpenter, follow a precise routine; locked doors, no midnight gatherings, and limited social media━except for their mother, Christina. She pretends and avoid the elephant in the room between the sisters. The tragedy...
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March 28, 2022. mid-afternoon.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤA SONG CROONED THROUGH MY EARS. I was underwater, buoyant in the vacancy. Above me was a shimmering light. It pulsated, synchronized to the gradual melody of the music. My chest was heavy, my breath was steady, and yet I wasn't drowning. I was at peace. I was safe here.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤThen I opened my eyes and my back felt something soft. I was in my bed. The cold nipped on my cheeks.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤIt was hostile, all blue and dark green.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI was in a hospital room.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤMy hand was bandaged with a transparent tube sticking out and trailing back to a bag hooked by a metal rod. A twinge of electricity pricked through my blood but I couldn't move. I called someone but I couldn't hear my voice.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤThe song stopped.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤMy heart raced. Then it jumped at the sight of a shadow enlarging in front of me. It consumed everything, from the walls to the ceiling. It neared me until it became a silhouette of someone.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤMy breath was erratic.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI wanted to cry.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI knew who it was behind the dark before the shadows unmasked them.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤShe smiled back at me. Nothing in her eyes was kind.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤBlood dribbled from the side of her temple, where I once shot her dead.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI shivered.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤIt was Amber.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ"Did you miss me, Tara?" She whispered.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ"I came back just for you." She laughed, monstrous and foreboding. It echoed as the room darkened.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI wanted to scream, attack her, but I couldn't.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤShe repeated my name.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤTara.
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤTara. . .
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ". . .Tara!"
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤI awake in cold sweat, eyes wide as I look at the person responsible for shaking my shoulder. She matches my shock, retreating her hand.
