Roses are red, like blood

Shot

[Erma's point of view]

I had no time to be shocked with the news. Bullets flew wildly as smoke came into the room. Men surrounded us, and the boy and his father both drew guns. I assessed my surroundings but was very scared inside. I may have trained myself, but nothing could've prepared me for this. Instead of standing around feeling frightened, I looked at the boy and asked "Do you have a spare gun?" A hint of surprise crossed his face but his poker face soon took over. He handed me a Remington R51 pistol. After twirling it around in my hand, I clicked of the safety and started firing at the men. After I ran out of bullets, the boy handed me three refill packs. I reloaded under less than a minute and observed my brother shooting. He had a perfect aim like me. I then noticed that the men were aiming for my mother and not us. I quickly changed my targets and started firing at those nearer her. With no means of defence, my mother was as helpless as a lamb. She was shocked at my ability to shoot a gun. As much as I would have loved to run to her, tell her how hurt I was about her not knowing or caring, there were other things that were clearly more important. This was a mistake, I got distracted by my thoughts and became vulnerable. A stray bullet shot me in my abdomen. I heard the roar of my father, multiple bullets being shot faster than what I could've imagined and the sound of my mother screaming. Then, at the worst possible time, I lost consciousness.