The warning shot saved her.

Annie had just been about to fling her bedroom door open and race down the stairs when she'd heard it. It sounded a lot like the fireworks that she liked to watch on New Year's Eve and on the Fourth of July, but those sounds were happy. They made her feel safe and loved, because whenever she heard fireworks, she was surrounded by family.

But this sound had been different. It scared her. And she was all alone. Annie didn't like it. She was at home, and that was supposed to make her feel like a warm hug, like the ones her Grandpa William used to give, like the ones her mom and dad gave her everyday.

Worse, perhaps, she wasn't sure what to do. She suddenly felt silly in her dress-up clothes, and she let the pink frilly scarf slip from its haphazard position on her neck to the hardwood floor.

She walked to the door and carefully opened it, just a crack, and listened for clues from downstairs. She heard the sound of a lot of things being moved around, and she also heard unfamiliar voices. That was certainly strange - Uncle Kevin was watching them, and they weren't allowed to have guests over today. And even if they had been allowed to invite a friend, she would've recognized their voice. Unless…

Gasping, she shut the door as a terrifying thought came into her head. What if someone's in the house?

Now she wished that she hadn't been so quick to shut the door, because now she had to call the police, and her parents hadn't given her a cell phone yet. That meant that she needed to open the door again, dash across the hall - making sure to avoid the creaky spot by the stairs - and go into her parent's bedroom to use the phone. Sniffling, she grabbed her stuffed pig, Porky, for support. And then she opened the door.

Kevin knew he must've passed out, because he found himself crumpled over on the floor. He felt a dull sort of ache in his chest, and he felt very tired.

He could hear sobbing, and knew it was Tess. She must be terrified. And Annie...she probably doesn't even know what's going on. They must be so scared. He wanted to walk over to her and hug her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. And he would do just that, as soon as his limbs decided to cooperate. He decided to settle on talking.

"Tess?" He waited a moment, and when he didn't hear anything, continued. "Sweetie, it's okay to come out now.

"The police are on their way. They should be here any minute."

All he heard was more crying. Beth is gonna kill me. He swallowed. If I don't die first.

As if some sort of mental fog had lifted, Kevin realized that he was lying in a pool of blood. His blood.

"Tess," he called out again. "I need you to come out, sweetie. Everything's gonna be okay, I just need you to help me." But he thought his voice sounded weak, not encouraging, and his words slurred at the end.

Now his mouth wasn't cooperating either, and those words had worn him out. He knew that he was supposed to try to stay awake, but his eyes slid close anyway. And he was just so tired.

He didn't bother trying to open them again.

Tess was still behind the curtain when she started hearing sirens. Curled up in a ball, the curtain draped over her as she sat there, shaking. And crying.

Once the tears had started coming out, she couldn't stop them, even though all the crying was making her nose run and her head hurt, and she just wanted it all to stop. She knew that she should probably go help Uncle Kevin, or get Annie, or call her parents, but she couldn't. She couldn't move, except for the shaking, but she couldn't stop that either.

She felt as though she were in a terrible dream as she heard the sounds of the police and paramedics arriving. When an officer found her and finally led her away from her hiding spot, she seemed to be watching herself move her body rather than actually being in charge of her own limbs.

The voice of her mother entered her awareness, and she felt arms wrap around her. "It's okay baby, we're here now, it's going to be alright. Everything's gonna be alright now."

She felt the words settle over her as a physical feeling, as if the words themselves had turned into dust. It's going to be alright. She gripped the blanket tighter around her. She didn't remember anyone putting it over her shoulders, but it was there now, and she clung to it as if it were Life itself. It's going to be alright.