Chapter 17 Taken
The ceiling fell through on the other side of her bed. “I’m not leaving you, Mommy! I’m not.” I crawled closer to the edge of the bed and dragged her with me. There was no way I could carry her. She was too heavy.
I opened the door to ask for help, but people were too hysterical.
“Help me! Someone help me!” I wasn’t the only one asking for help.
Across the hall was an open door, with a girl screaming.
Between the fire, smoke, and everyone screaming and running, no one even noticed me.
I ran back in, pulled her down from the bed and across the room by her shoulders, but with all the smoke, it was hard to breathe.
Once she was on the floor, I stayed low to take a few breaths, then lifted her.
I tangled my arms with hers and carried half her body on my back a few steps forward until she fell to the side and I collapsed.
I gasped for air, then gathered all my strength. “Somebody help me!”
He filled the open doorway. You’re supposed to be dead! “Killian!” It was the man who’d just been in my uncle’s office and my bedroom. Francoise.I t
How did he escape my bedroom? I froze, and when he walked into the room, I screamed while pushing against Mum. “Ahhhhhh!”
“Killian, come on. We need to go,” he said, picking me up by my shoulders.
“No. That’s my mum. Help her. Help her!” I kicked and writhed, trying to escape him.
“Stop fighting me! You’re coming with me!” As he hauled me out of the bedroom, through the halls, and down the stairs to the front of the house, I fought him but failed to get away.
The whole way, I hollered for her while imagining her burning in the fire that I had started.
Outside, through tears and fat drops of rain, I watched people running to their cars and driving away.
It was all a confusing commotion with everyone panicking, hysterical.
The sirens of fire trucks approaching in the distance filled the night.
The third floor fell through. At first, I felt nothing, then it all hit me. She was gone.
I’d left her there to burn. “Muuuuummmmm!” I wailed, and was about to run back into the house when he wrapped his palm around my neck, lifted me from the ground, popped his trunk open, and stuffed me in there.
Once I was inside, his grip only tightened.
I kicked and tried to yank his arm away, then scratched at it until I got super tired and fell asleep.