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"What about her? We're running from her."
"But will she be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Will she be okay without us?" Lily said, her eyes filling.
Emma felt her heart clench at the unexpected question. She knew her sister was right; their mother wouldn't be okay without them. But she also knew they couldn't go back, not after what their mother had done to them.
"We can't worry about that now," Emma finally said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "We need to focus on staying safe and finding a way to survive."
Lily nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. Emma wiped them away and held her tightly, both trying to find comfort in each other's embrace.
Emma held her tight, her own eyes wet with unshed tears. They sat in the darkness, two little girls trying to survive in a world that was too big and scary for them.
But they had each other, and for now, that was enough.
PartV
Chapter36
Caroline lay in her bed, sound asleep when something woke her. Her furry companion, a golden retriever named Duke, nuzzled his head against her lap, tail wagging eagerly as he let out a low whine.
Caroline glanced down at him, groaning. "Do you need to go outside?"
Duke barked in response, jumping off her lap and running toward the door. She looked at her phone; it was five o’clock in the morning. She didn’t have to get up yet.
Caroline groaned. It was too early, and she didn't want to have to walk Duke, but she also didn't want to deal with cleaning up any accidents in the house, should he have one. Duke was still a young dog and had never been very good at holding it in for longer periods of time. Reluctantly, she got up, following Duke outside in the darkness.
She stood on the back porch, letting the warm night air embrace her like a humid blanket. It was already hot out, and the sun hadn’t even risen yet.
"Duke, come on," she called out into the darkness. "Let's go back inside."
But there was no response. Caroline furrowed her brow, her heart starting to race.
"Duke?" she called out again, louder this time, her voice now tinged with panic. "Duke, where are you?"
Still, there was no response. Caroline felt a knot forming in her stomach as she stepped off the porch and into the backyard, calling out for Duke once more. She walked into the yard and peered into the darkness but couldn't see anything beyond the fence surrounding her backyard.
Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the other side of the fence, from the neighbor's backyard. It was a strange noise, like something scraping against wood. Caroline hesitated for a moment, then decided to investigate. Something about the sounds made her uneasy. She walked toward the fence, Duke's barking getting louder with each step.
"Stop it, Duke," she scolded as she peered through the slats in the fence. But Duke wouldn't listen. He dug furiously at the ground, pulling at something Caroline couldn't quite see. She walked along the fence until she reached the gate separating her yard from her neighbor's.
Duke ran toward her as she pushed the gate open, barking loudly. He then took off again. He stopped at the base of a large tree, digging frantically at the ground and pulling at something with his teeth.
"Stop it, Duke," Caroline scolded, pulling him away from the tree. "What are you doing?"
But Duke wouldn't listen. He kept growling and barking, staring intently at the spot where he had been digging. Caroline peered closer, and her heart sank. She let out a blood-curdling scream, backing away from the tree in horror. Duke continued to growl and dig, his eyes fixed on the gruesome sight before them. He was pulling at it, biting into it, and the crunching sound made her sick.
There, buried in the ground, was a hand. It was mottled and pale, long fingers stretching upward as if pleading for help. Caroline felt bile rise in her throat as she backed away from the tree. Panicking, she stumbled back, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to hold back the vomit that threatened to spill out.
She fumbled with her phone, shaking as she dialed 9-1-1. It felt like an eternity before someone picked up on the other end.
"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.
"There's a body in my neighbor's backyard," Caroline blurted out, her voice shaking. "Please, you have to send someone."
The operator tried to calm her down, asking for her address and details about the situation. Caroline struggled to answer, her mind racing with fear and confusion.
