ENDS

Dylan p. o. v.

There was a knock on the door and everyone stood still. I personally wasn’t in the mood to entertain any visitors at the moment.

Everyone was seated in the living room brooding silently as we had just gotten back from the hospital and a deathly silence engulfed us all.

I was hoping they’d say a coma or brief unconsciousness till she was stable enough to wake up again.

But no, my mom had died.

‘You brought her in late’

Those were the words of the doctors when we arrived.

Late.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

If only Meredith had just listened and stayed behind. I wonder what pursued her in the first place.

Now she’s missing.

These past few days have just been like a movie.

A fucking freak show!

Because I have no idea how they expect me to be okay with my mom gone.

Just how?

The knock came again and Uncle Brooks stood to figure out who it was.

Everyone else stared at the door to know who would come in. Silently, we all prayed it would either be Iris and Hunter….. or the doctor coming to tell us my mother was alive.

But the door opened and it revealed Mr. Reid in a maroon suit…. And he wasn’t alone.

He was flanked by Mason and Michelle.

A lot of eye contact and sign languages were made in the room but no one dared to say a word.

The atmosphere was already cold enough, but Mr. Reid had a purpose of coming over and I doubt he’s going to let the silence wash it down.

” My due condolence to the McConnell family for everything you all are passing through. This is indeed the toughest times and I am here to proffer solutions in any way I can.” He started and glanced round the room to be sure we’re all with him, he continued.

” Mr. Brooks, if I may speak with you in private” turning to hunters dad to get an affirmation.

Uncle Brooks looked to my dad for a go ahead, but my father only shrugged in response.

Everyone was literally worn out today.

” Let’s take the meeting upstairs” he replied Mr. Reid and the both hastily left the room.

Michelle and Mason were both standing so awkwardly at the edge of the room that Claudette noticed and had to walk up to them.

” would you like some tea or something to eat? I can get you some cake if that’s fine by you” she said to the two while I took it as my cue to walk away.

I went into to the backyard because I was a hundred percent sure no one would come here at the moment.

It was a perfect time to think.

Everything is happening way too fast. Too fast that it feels I haven’t even had a chance to catch my breath since it all began.

Each moment more choking than the previous.

There was a little pond quite a distance from the house, taking slow steps I approached the shallow water and sat down just by its banks.

Funny how we found out about the incident from the news. Megan wanted to watch the news to know if there was anything going on that we were yet to hear of.

And indeed there was.

Megan screamed so loudly that everyone came running to the living room and my heart fell right into my stomach.

I would never forget the headline… Ambush on a Toyota camry on New Forte highway with its driver found dead at the site.

This was less than an hour after they left

We rushed to the scene and they didn’t allow me see my mom’s body, but it was no use. I could see the blood that stained her clothes and her lifeless face.

I stood still at a distance as we watched the paramedics put her into an ambulance and zoomed off to the hospital.

We entered our vehicles too and followed suit while Hunters dad and Megan stayed behind to inform the police that someone else was in that vehicle and she was missing.

I was speechless… I still am.

I was up by 3am in the morning watching my mom’s dead body get rushed to the hospital.

My mother I saw just an hour before.

If I had known that would be the last, I would’ve hugged her tighter when she hugged me before leaving… I would have said ‘I love you too’ a million times when she said it to me.

I would’ve stopped her from leaving.

Her vanilla body mist rubbed off on me when she embraced me in a hug and I could still smell its faint fragrance.

That brought a tear to my eyes and I willingly let it fall this time.

At least there was no one to tell me to be strong this time around.

I let myself be the baby she always saw me as.

I really need someone to hold me like she does and tell me everything is gonna be okay because right now it feels like everything is falling apart.

Every single thing.

” Can I join you?” came a soft voice from behind me and I turned to see Michelle standing with a glass of what I presumed to be wine and a serviette.

” yeah” I answered and turned back to the pond.

She walked so silently that if she hadn’t made me aware of her presence, I wouldn’t have noticed someone was with me.

” I saw you walk out and I felt, maybe…. I … you uhm..” she stuttered and I found it quite amusing.

” how long have you been standing there?” I needed to know because I doubt she had just arrived.

” Five minutes.. or more, I wasn’t counting” she said and I could tell she could sense the awkwardness behind her action.

Silence brewed between us and not like it was uncomfortable.

It was just silence.

Michelle and I had never actually had the opportunity to speak to each other directly since I had heard of her, I was just quite familiar with her face.

” I’m sorry if I am bothering you” her voice came out cracked and hoarse

That was when I noticed she was crying.

She stared down at her hands and the tear drops came rolling down like a stream in a single streak. She didn’t turn her head or make any body movements.

She just spoke up again

” I just need someone to t-talk to” still staring down.

It was in that moment that I realized, we may be as good as strangers who may never have said a word to each other.

Right now we both shared something in common.

We are both scared and confused.