Eighteen
Chilled air smacked me in the face the minute I stepped out of the precinct. I couldn’t let myself look back at everything I’d worked so hard to achieve. Not when I knew it meant I’d likely never see it again. My destination wasn’t far, but I took my time, strolling along Tremont Street and down past Park Street Church. The bells chimed out the hour and I stopped to listen as the sound echoed on the wind. The Common sprawled out across the street ahead of me and I approached it with steady steps. I’d been paying close enough attention to the creature’s visits to get the hint that this was where we’d have our final showdown.
The moment my feet touched dead grass and dirty snow piles, I wondered if this sense of peace had settled over my mother the night she sacrificed herself. I’
