My hands hit the door, jarring them with the force as I burst onto the roof. Ava screamed and ripped the kids behind her body, using herself as a shield, and I twisted, slamming it shut. The racket coming from the stairwell was deafening as I stared at the door where I had just abandoned my mother—pulling my gaze from the door. Ava rushed over, jamming a piece of a broken pipe she ripped off from somewhere through the handle and line that ran to the vents on the roof above the door.
Yet all I could think was, I left her in there. I ran and left her behind. Ava whimpers as she secures the bar; I didn't have to tell her. She knew because mum didn't come out behind me. Yet as she turned to look at me, I could see her heartbreak.
My entire body shook with adrenaline and shock. I left her. I
