GERALD
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The shot echoed in the room while the sound felt so loud, a single, sharp report that ripped through the fragile air, through the last vestiges of hope.
Mabel slumped forward onto the floor while the collapsing of her body felt so sudden and in a soft, heavy thud that punctuated the silence that rushed in to fill the void left by the gunshot.
Silence. Absolute silence, broken only by my own ragged breathing and the frantic, terrified pounding of the girl’s heart, a sound I was sure I could hear in the sudden stillness.
Leila’s eyes widened while the widening felt so absolute and in a more horrifying way, fixing on her mother’s still form sprawled on the floor.
The blood bloomed dark against Mabel’s stomach, spreading outwards in a sickeningly vibrant stain while her fa
