The faint drip of unseen blood echoed in the silence, irregular yet persistent. The metallic tang of blood filled the air, sharp and inescapable. It started with one call. We have a situation. And just like that, we were on the run again. The life we built here, our home and friends, vanished with one careless mistake.
"Yes, Captain. She barged in without a warrant and threatened me with a gun. Said she knew everything and would tell her higher-ups."
Nora paces the living room, phone pressed to her ear. My heart thuds in my chest, each beat a hammer on glass. My hand feels heavy; the gun drags it down. I set it on the coffee table beside Lily's crayon drawings of butterflies and castles. The leather couch creaks under me when I sink into it.
I want to scream, to curse my existence, but I hold it together for Nora. Shame claws at me beneath the twisting of my stomach, an unwanted reminder of the recklessness that led us here. My eyes flick to the clock in the kitchen, 3:14 p.m. Sophie should be bringing Lily home from kindergarten any minute. My gaze lowers, catching the blood on the kitchen floor, and my stomach twists. A memory flashes through my mind—a soft promise I once whispered to Lily as I tucked her in: "I will always keep you safe, no matter what." The words feel like a cruel reminder of my failure. I never wanted Lily to see this.
"No, it was silenced," Nora continues.
I stand, drifting down the hall to wait by the front door. My fingers brush across framed photos on the wall: our wedding, a small ceremony filled with laughter. Lily's newborn face, tiny and pink, the happiest day of our lives. Lily at three, proudly clutching Blue, the Blue Point Siamese she named for his eyes. The memories sting—they're about to become ghosts.
Footsteps crunch on the path outside. I pull back the lilac curtain and glimpse Sophie and Lily, hand in hand. Relief floods me. I open the door quickly and shut it behind them.
"Hi, Mommy!" Lily beams, arms outstretched.
I scoop her up, squeezing tight. Over her shoulder, I meet Sophie's eyes, giving her a grim look. She frowns.
"Go with Sophie to your room, okay?" I murmur.
"Okay, Mommy." She shuffles off, backpack bouncing.
Sophie starts, "What's—"
"Keep her away from the kitchen. Only grab what you need," I cut in, voice low.
Her face pales. "It's happening again?"
"Yes. Stay calm for Lily. Nora's handling it. We'll be leaving soon, so pack your things."
Sophie nods and disappears down the hall. I hear her coaxing Lily to hand over her backpack, replacing its contents with clothes. Lily's delighted voice carries through the door. She doesn't remember the first time this happened. She was too young. But Sophie promised she'd always come with us, and she has.
I press my forehead against the wall, eyes closing on the weight of the memories around me. We'll leave it all behind because of me.
"Fayoth."
Nora's voice snaps me back. She sits in the lounge chair, phone lowered.
"Get your things ready. Make sure Sophie and Lily are set."
I nod, waiting for more, but she returns to the call.
She pauses, her gaze lingering on the body of the federal marshal lying on our kitchen floor. "Five-six, medium build, shoulder-length light brown hair," she says.
When she finally hangs up, I blurt, "Nora, I'm sorry. I panicked. I didn't know what else to do."
Instead of anger, she wraps her arms around me. Her sigh is deep, tired.
"Thank you. That could have ended very badly."
Her forgiveness stuns me. I hold her tight.
"We have ten minutes. Ramona's coming through the back in an officer's uniform. She'll leave through the front, take the cruiser, and stage it like a robbery. If she fails, they'll trace everything back to us, and we'll all be targets. We cannot afford any mistakes. The clock is ticking, and every second counts."
I follow her to our bedroom. She opens Blue's cage. Our cat pads in without hesitation—he knows the drill. I grab my jewelry box from the dresser, heirlooms spanning generations. Nora tosses a suitcase on the bed.
'We don't need much," she says.
"Did they say where we're going?'
"Not yet. We'll get instructions once we're on the road."
Clothes pile into the suitcase. Nora rummages through her duffel bag of guns, but a jingle at the back door makes us freeze. Shadows darken the hallway; adrenaline spikes in my veins. For a heartbeat, everything teeters on the brink of danger. Then, slowly, knowing glances pass between us.
"Probably Ramona," she whispers, pistol hidden behind her back. She eases the door open. Two figures step inside—a woman in uniform and a man in black.
"Ready?" the man asks.
"Almost." Nora hesitates.
"No need for weapons," Ramona says lightly. "You'll be resupplied."
I slip away to check on Lily. Her little arms cradle Jelly Bean, her stuffed bear.
"Can I bring him?" she asks.
"Of course. Anything you want."
She beams and rushes to gather coloring books. I ache for her innocence.
When I return, Ramona is speaking quietly with Nora. The man kneels by the body, gloved hands moving with clinical detachment.
"She only knew Nora was part of the rebellion," Ramona tells me. "Nothing about you."
Relief loosens my chest. But the pain in my head spikes, dull and throbbing.
"Nora, my pills," I say, grabbing my head.
She hands me the bottle, slipping the hard drive into her pocket. I swallow one down. My death sentence.
Sophie enters with Lily, carefully shielding her eyes from the kitchen. Blue's carrier swings from her hand.
"We're ready," she whispers.
The man takes our phones, replacing them with new ones. '"The Captain will call once you're clear. By the time anyone looks, it'll be like you never lived here."
Nora thanks him. Suitcase in hand, she leads the way.
"Good luck, Princess," Ramona and the man say in unison as we step outside.
I slam the car door shut, the sound reverberating as if sealing our past away. The gravel crunches loudly under the tires as the car begins to move, propelling us toward an uncertain future. I take one last look at the house fading into the distance, the memories echoing with the sound of that single gunshot.