Can Love Stand the Test?

Mindy

"Daddy! Mommy!"

Thomas regained consciousness. On top of him laid rubble, stone and wooden beams. The hideout had been destroyed. Drayton, Grandpa and Lefty were dead. Chop Top and Stretch he could care less.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Thomas pushed the rubble off him. Where was Carrie? He could hear her screaming. He sat up and looked around.

Mindy! Where was she? Thomas started digging through the rubble trying to find her.

"Daddy!" Carrie screamed again.

Thomas looked to the side to see a hand reaching up through the rubble. He quickly crawled to the spot and started digging.

"Daddy!"

Thomas took the hand and pulled Carrie out of the rubble. He held her close as she cried.

"Daddy, I was so scared!" Carrie cried. "I heard you and Mommy fighting. Then I heard Drayton yell at you. Then I heard you playing with your chainsaw. Then the whole roof came down!"

Thomas rocked Carrie in his arms trying to calm her down. He continued looking around to see if he could find Mindy. The hideout was completely quiet. Carrie looked up at him.

"Daddy, where's Mommy?"

He shook his head. He didn't know where Mindy was. He went back to digging through the rubble. Thomas hoped she was still alive if he found her. Carrie looked at him and started digging too.

"Is Mommy hiding?" she asked.

Thomas shook his head and dug deeper.

"Daddy! Daddy, look!"

He turned to see Carrie pointing at something. There was a hand buried under the rubble. Thomas pushed the stones and wooden beam off to see Mindy laying face down in the rubble. He whimpered as he started panicking.

Thomas pulled Mindy up from under the rubble and held her in her arms. Her face was caked in blood as well as her back. What was worse, she was absolutely still. Her chest wasn't moving... she wasn't breathing.