PROLOGUE
I COULDN’T BREATHE, COULDN’T MOVE, BUT SOMETHING WAS JOLTING THROUGH ME TELLING ME I had to get up. Maybe adrenaline. I tried to sit up. Oh, God. The shooting pain in my abdomen had me back on my back. I looked down at the piece of metal protruding from my side.
And then I heard her, my mom, breathing heavy and whimpering about ten feet away from me. I had to get up. Turning onto my seemingly uninjured side, I lifted myself up with my hands and crawled to my mom. Glass dug into my knees, but I didn’t care. I had to get to her.
“Mommy, I’m here,” I cried. She turned her head to look at me, tears running down her face. As soon as her head was turned I saw the blood gushing from her neck. “No!” I screamed. “Someone, help us!”
I could hear sirens in the distance. “It’s going to be okay mom. You’re going to be okay.” I was unsure if I was trying to convince her or myself. I put my hand on her neck to hold pressure on the wound and she reached up and put her hand on mine. She opened her mouth and barely gurgled out what sounded like, “I love you,” but blood was filling her mouth causing her to choke. “Shh. Don’t talk, I love you. You’re going to be okay.”
I began screaming prayers in my head. The ambulance was getting closer. I tried my best to turn her on her side, so the blood would spill from her mouth and she could breathe but, as I did her hand fell limp from mine. Not knowing what to do I screamed for someone, anyone to help us.
There was a grunting noise to my right and I turned my head to see the two men who had hit us, stirring on the ground by their flame engulfed truck. One began to scream.
I could see the ambulance at the other end of the street now. I looked at my mom again, her beautiful blonde hair now tinted red with blood, hung in curls around her face. Her hazel eyes were open but unfocused. The ambulance arrived but, it was too late.
