Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Seeing Red
Chapter: 32
"Oh man… Did I do the right thing?"
Takato's question hung in the air, and like the gate to Rika's home, it felt much larger than it sounded. In his mind, he saw Rika, looking at him softly, but eyes full of uncertainty about the future. Their future and her fears about it.
"Takato, I'm scared that I won't love them. The digimon. The baby it's probably going to be partnered with… What if I can't?"
"Did I just dump a giant mess on her when I proposed?"
"I don't know," Guilmon replied, looking up at him with his big, golden eyes. "I've never been married before. But neither have you. Is that why you're worried?"
"I-I don't know," Takato admitted. "I've never really done anything like this before, even with Jeri. I mean, I meant what I said about always having her back, but I say a lot of things that I mean, even when I don't have a clue about what I'm doing. And I don't have a clue about what I'm doing. Rika's worried about the future and I just kind of dropped this giant, life-changing thing on her. I wanted her to know she could count on me and I mean to do my best, but…"
He trailed off, trying to work out what he wanted to say. He wanted to be with Rika. He knew that for sure, and he wanted to make sure she knew she could rely on him for anything. But did proposing to her actually solve anything? Or was he just doing what he tended to do? Acting on the desire to do something, even if that something didn't help?
How many times has Rika told me that sometimes I need to not stick my nose into things? he wondered.
"I don't think Rika would have said yes if she didn't trust you and care about you," Guilmon pointed out.
"That's…true," Takato conceded to his partner's observation. He felt a little better for that. Rika didn't hand out her trust to just anyone and she tended to speak her mind quite clearly. Not all the time, as she could clam up when she felt uncertain about something, but Guilmon was correct. Rika wouldn't have accepted his proposal – or even consider dating him to begin with for that matter – if she didn't think they could make things work.
"I wonder if Mom and Dad went through this when they got married," he mused. "Or when they had me."
"You went through it with me a lot," Guilmon pointed out. "I was kind of like a baby back then and you were both my mom and dad. I know I worried you a lot because I kept leaving when you told me to stay and I didn't always know what to say or do to make you less worried. And every time I digivolved and got bigger, I became kind of scary and that worried you a lot too."
"You sure did open up a whole different world for me," Takato nodded. "Everything looked so easy on the TV show. Only it wasn't." He blanched and looked at his partner apologetically. "I don't mean to make you sound like you were a problem though! I wouldn't trade you for the world."
"It's alright, Takato. I know it wasn't easy." He pressed himself against Takato's leg. "I don't think it's ever easy, but at least you know some things better now, right? And you and Rika aren't alone anymore either, right? You can ask for help."
"I…" Takato thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We're not alone." He smiled with a bit more confidence. "Guilmon, how do you see things so clearly like that?"
"I got it all from you, Takato," Guilmon laughed.
"But I don't see it like you do."
"That's because you were skating on sausages. It happens to all of us sometimes. Even Renamon. Like that time she and Rika stopped talking to one another because of IceDevimon. When you skate on sausages, it's easy to forget a lot of things. Like how you're not really alone. Like how you and Rika are partners now."
Guilmon beamed at Takato. "She didn't mind you not giving her a ring like in all those TV shows and movies. She said yes to getting married and she wants to have sex with you so she can get past whatever's bothering her."
Takato's eyes went wide at the mention of sex.
"I…kind of forgot about that," Takato admitted, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "And you shouldn't be saying stuff like that in public."
"Sorry. We were having a moment and I forgot."
Takato frowned slightly, but continued. "You're right though. I just wish I could stop worrying."
"Why? Worrying only means you care about her."
"Yeah, but it's no good if I just end up skating on sausages, like you said. I've got to figure out how to be the best I can be for Rika."
"Hey! Gogglehead!"
Takato jumped in surprise at the unexpected call. Whirling about, he quickly spotted Rika and Kyubimon coming in for a landing before them.
"Rika?!" His eyes grew wide. What's she doing here? "Is everything alright?"
"Yamaki called. Henry's classmate might be making a move soon. Hop on." She jerked her thumb to the spot behind her indicatively. While Takato hastily moved to comply, Rika dug through her card box.
"And a strength card for Dinoboy," she said before slashing the card through her digivice's slot.
"Hey! Don't be mean!" Guilmon protested. "Takato!"
"Don't be like that, Guilmon," Takato said, seating himself behind Rika. "We're going to have to move fast and Kyubimon will need all the speed she can get."
"Plus, you eat your weight in peanut butter," Rika pointed out. She gave Takato a knowing smirk. "I thought you said he was going on a diet."
"Part of the problem is that he lives in a bakery and we taught him how to bake," Takato replied, his expression self-reproachful. "And that's kind of my fault. I should have known better."
"At least you learn." Her smile softened and she gave him a meaningful look. "That's one thing I know you're good at, so don't beat yourself up too much." Her expression became serious when Guilmon climbed up behind Takato. Kyubimon made a grunting sound and her back sagged a little.
"Renamon?"
"I'm fine." Kyubimon adjusted herself. "Everyone hang on tight!"
With a leap, the kitsune and her passengers vanished into thin air.
###
Yua leaned over the rooftop, watching her mother. Chizuru moved with swift purpose, further confirming her fears that there was more going on than a trip to the grocery store.
Why are you hiding this from me? she wondered. What is it that you don't want me to hear?
"You know… You run really fast…"
Startled, Yua flipped back several paces before falling into a fighting stance, ready for anything. Upon seeing the owner of the voice, Calumon, she relaxed her guard.
"What are you doing here?"
Calumon tapped a tiny paw against his chin.
"What do you mean?"
"I left you behind at the house!"
"You leave me behind a lot, but it looked like you were following your mom, so I figured if I followed her, I'd find you."
Yua's eye twitched at that. "Stop following me. This has nothing to do with you."
"Huh? But I thought we were friends. Can't friends be worried about you?"
"How are we friends?!" Yua demanded angrily. "I attacked yours! I-I freak out your Renamon friend! For all I know I freak out Henry!" Yua's breath hitched in her throat. An image flashed across her mind of herself being held by her Renamon, data floating away from her body. "You-You shouldn't want me as a friend anyway. I'm cursed."
Spreading out his ears, Calumon floated on over to her.
"I've heard that before from a lot of my friends. But people still love them. Especially me."
Yua frowned. "Oh, please. You know me for only a few hours. You can't love me or anything. You don't know the first thing about me!"
"I know you have a really pretty tail that you're hiding."
"I do not have a tail! I do not!"
Yua's form glitched just then and a long, golden tail spilled out behind her. It flicked into view and both Yua and Calumon gazed at it with surprise and interest.
"I told you it was pretty," Calumon beamed. Yua stepped back, trying to get away from the appendage.
"It's not real," she said in a hushed whisper.
"It sure looks real." Floating closer, Calumon touched her tail with his paws. "Feels it too."
"Stop!" Yua yanked her tail away from him. "Don't…touch…me." She shook her head, trying to get a hold of herself. "This isn't real. I've got to be dreaming or something."
"Why would you be dreaming about having a tail?" Calumon asked.
"I don't know! Probably because of her! Because of Yua! I…" Blinking, she faltered. Her tail drooped and her lips trembled.
"Yua?" Calumon asked.
She shook her head. "You're distracting me," she said before turning away. "I need to figure out what's going on with Mom. Leave me alone."
Just as before, Yua vanished from view, leaving Calumon to moan in frustration.
"She really needs to stop running away from her problems!"
###
Chizuru arrived in the main lobby of her husband's workplace in time to find both him and a man she didn't recognize waiting for her. The stranger wore a black suit and sunglasses. The gentle click of the lighter in his hand drew her attention for a moment, and then she turned to her husband imploringly.
"Haru?" she asked.
"He's here to talk about Yua," Haruto explained. "He's from the government."
"Oh no…"
"My name is Mitsuo Yamaki," the stranger said, stepping forward. "I represent Hypnos. We deal with relations between our world and the digital world."
"O-Our daughter…!" Chizuru began, only for Haruto to shake his head.
"He already knows," he explained.
"Why don't we take this somewhere more private?" Yamaki asked.
Chizuru took a step back. "You won't take her!"
"Mrs. Aikawa, we have only Yua's best interests in mind. If it will put your mind at ease, we have no desire to 'take' her anywhere as long as she poses no threat to herself or those around her. I assure you, if we believed otherwise, we would have already done so."
"Chizu, he wants to help," Haruto said. "Isn't-Isn't this what we've talked about before? Getting her help? You know we can't do this by ourselves. We tried for five years already and nothing has changed for her." His eyes softened. "Don't you think it's time we stopped pretending? Time she faced the truth?"
Chizuru clutched at her purse. Deep down, she knew her husband was right. She felt such sentiments before, and as such always knew that a day like this would come.
"I don't want to lose her too," she said, her voice hitching in her throat. Haruto closed the distance between them and swept his wife into a powerful hug. Yamaki approached the pair.
"If possible, I would like for you to not lose her as well. That is why we need to keep this private and out of the public eye. If you would follow me…?"
He gestured to the doors where, outside, a limo awaited them.
###
Now they're driving.
Yua watched as her family piled into the limo with someone she didn't recognize. She thought about confronting them then and there, but she hesitated. Making everything public would only complicate things for her parents.
It's got to do with my fight with that digimon, she thought. Maybe they're trying to protect me? But why wouldn't they bring me with them?
No answers came to her.
Well, if we're going to do this, it's better to keep things in the family anyway. Wherever they end up stopping, that's where I'll confront them.
With that, she leapt into the air and faded from sight.
"Ohhh…" whined an exhausted Calumon just as he fluttered into view. "Not again!"
###
Henry leaned against the tree, listening to the sound of the wind as it moved through Chuo Park. He sought to center his thoughts on the task ahead; to clear his mind of all distractions but the mission. However, he found himself unable to do so. Thoughts of Yua continued to intrude.
How long has she been attending cram school with me? Has she been a digimon this entire time? Or did she get replaced? Why is she there? What does she want with me?
Such questions had been circling his thoughts all day, and not having any answers to them made him restless.
Opening his eyes, he panned about the group they had gathered so far. Presently, just himself, his sister, Ryo, and Kazu were here. The latter two owing to proximity, having been the first shift keeping watch over his apartment in the event 'Yua' attempted anything. Their large partners stood behind them, hidden somewhat from the open view by the trees of the Citizen's Forest. No other humans presently occupied the area, having been largely cleared out by Hypnos agents.
Fidgeting with his cards, Kazu looked up restlessly from his spot on the ground. "She's never going to come," he said. "This whole thing screams trap. She's going to take one look at how empty this place is and nope on out of here."
"And that's if she doesn't notice myself or our good sir, Cyberdramon," Guardromon pointed out. "Oh my, we do stick out like sore hand digits, don't we?"
"It's sore thumbs, and yeah. We kinda do. This is crazier than peanut butter and noodles. What's Yamaki thinking?"
"I'm sure he wants to avoid having any civilian casualties if things go wrong," Henry pointed out.
"Or property damage," Suzie added next to him.
From his spot on Henry's head, Terriermon giggled. "Too bad we don't have any paint. Otherwise, we'd give you guys a new paintjob to blend in."
"As if we'd have time for that," Ryo said, his blue eyes gazing back and forth between the cards in his hand and the cards on the playing field. "But Yamaki's pretty confident that she'll follow him in here, so he must have some kind of plan."
Kazu slapped down a modify card on his side of the field.
"I wish something would happen soon. I'm getting sick of all this waiting. I don't even know what this Yua looks like!"
"Dark hair, blue eyes, and female," Guardromon said. "Given the circumstances and the emptiness of the park, that should be sufficient information, shouldn't it?"
"I'll recognize her," Henry said.
"If you even notice her," Kazu grunted. "You didn't notice a thing the entire time she was right there in front of you."
Suzie squirmed angrily. "Will you stop being so negative?" she demanded, annoyed by the boy's abrasive behavior. "You're not helping things with all your whining!"
"Suzie…" began Lopmon from by her feet. "Momentai!"
"No! I'm not going to momentai when he's being a jerk for no reason!"
Kazu opened his mouth to respond, but before he could even get a word out, Kyubimon, with all her passengers, swooped down from above.
"We're here!" Takato announced. "Sorry we're late!"
"About time you lovebirds got here," Kazu grunted. "You guys are the next to last ones here."
"Kenta and Impmon haven't shown up yet," Ryo clarified. "They were part of second shift."
"So, what's the plan here?" Suzie asked, looking at Rika expectantly as she and the others climbed off Kyubimon's back. "You didn't say anything about what we're supposed to be doing. Did Yamaki mention anything?"
The fire haired girl folded her arms together. "Stand by just in case things go bad," she replied. "Yamaki's got a gameplan apparently. We're backup."
"I got that, but how is 'Yuamon' going to not notice us?" Suzie pointed at Kazu and Ryo's partners indicatively.
"I am a bit of a green thumb," the android agreed.
"That's sore thumb. Get it right." Kazu collected his cards with a heavy sigh, much to Ryo's surprise. Even at 17, the boy rarely ended a match before it was finished. "Much as I hate to admit it, we are going to stand out. Maybe Ryo and I should be further away and wait for the fireworks to start going off.
"That's not a bad idea," Ryo agreed. "Cyberdramon doesn't exactly scream friendly. Henry's friend might not take whatever bait Yamaki's setting if she sees us. Besides, with so many digimon here already who can reach Mega, having this many of us seems kind of overkill."
"Well, it looks like we're a little late," Guilmon pointed out, spotting Yamaki and two others entering into view. "They're coming from down the opposite end of the park, so maybe Yua won't see us."
"Those are her parents?" Terriermon asked. Henry nodded.
"Looks like."
"Let's wait then," Rika suggested, drawing out her digivice and cards. "See what happens. She might be too focused on whatever they're doing to even notice us."
"Or just not care," Terriermon remarked. "Maybe she's strong enough to take on all of us even at the Mega level."
"Didn't seem that way from how Impmon described her."
Takato pressed his lips together. "Lots of what-ifs going on around here," he said. He glanced over at Henry. "Hey, what do you think? You've known Yua the longest. Do you think she'll actually show up?"
"I don't know." Henry shook his head. The image of the blue-eyed girl flashed before his eyes. "I just don't know at all."
He felt Renamon's gaze resting on him, warm and sympathetic. He resisted the urge to meet it, even as he desired to. The whole business about Yua left him feeling restless and without a good sense of direction.
Why did she lie about who she is? Why is she pretending? Why is she focused on me?
He shook his head again, trying to dislodge the cobwebs of confusion building in his mind. He needed to focus on the job at hand. He couldn't afford to be distracted at such a critical time.
He felt Terriermon's ear squeeze about him gently, sensing the boy's tension.
"Momentai, Henry," he said. "Momentai."
###
Yamaki panned about the park. No one appeared to be in sight. He heard the sounds of birds chirping, indicating a lack of disturbance. He didn't know what that meant regarding the presence of either Yua or the Tamers. Flicking his cellphone open, he hit the call button for Rika. She answered promptly.
"We're here," she said. "All of us except Kenta and Impmon."
"Keep me posted for any sign of their daughter, but do not engage unless she becomes a threat."
"Got it."
Yamaki hung up and turned toward Yua's parents. They both looked deeply concerned.
"Who were you talking to?" Chizuru asked, eying Yamaki suspiciously.
"The Tamers," Yamaki replied. "They're just here as a precaution. I assure you that the last thing they want to do is harm your daughter."
He looked meaningfully at them. The pair exchanged uncertain looks.
"Can-Can you help her?" Chizuru asked.
"To the best of our ability. But first, we need to know what's going on. What happened to her?"
Chizuru hugged her arms about herself. "I-I don't know if we should." She looked about at the park. "Why here? How is this private?"
"It is far better privacy than you would have had behind closed doors at Hypnos. Far better for Yua, whatever her situation is, that as few people know about it as possible." He took off his sunglasses. "Please," he said imploringly. "Start at the beginning."
Chizuru only hugged herself tighter. "Haruto, maybe we should be talking to lawyers."
Haruto noticeably bit his lip. "I…"
"Haruto! She's our dau…!" Chizuru faltered, her mouth trembling. "She's…all we have left of her." Her voice cracked and she buried her face into her hands, crying. Haruto drew her into his arms.
"She needs help though," he said, smoothing out her hair. "We can't give that to her. Let's tell him the truth."
Chizuru nodded reluctantly.
"The truth," she said throatily.
###
Yua crouched low on the branch, her ears straining to hear the conversation. Her tail flicked back and forth in agitation, sensing the danger of the Tamers' digimon nearby. A part of her told her to retreat; that they were too powerful for her to deal with should things turn to violence. But she could not. Would not abandon her parents to this Yamaki and whatever he represented.
And then there was her concern about why they were with this man in the first place. Something about 'the Truth' about her.
"Finally!" Calumon crowed, landing on a branch next to her. "I was starting to think you wouldn't stop trying to run away!"
"Be quiet!" Yua hissed in agitation, making shushing motions. She wanted to get away from the Rookie, but she knew if she moved now, she would miss whatever her parents had to say about 'the Truth.'
When she heard it, she swore for half a second that she missed it after all.
###
"The Yua that exists now isn't the real Yua," Haruto explained. "It's her partner, Renamon."
"Her copy ability," Yamaki frowned. Haruto raised an eyebrow. Seeing it, Yamaki nodded. "One of the Tamers is also partnered with a Renamon. She has the same abilities."
"Can-Can we see her?"
Yamaki nodded. Scrolling through his cellphone's contact list, he hit Rika's number with his thumb.
"They wish to see your partner," he said, once Rika picked up. The line clicked dead. A few seconds later, both the vulpine digimon and her partner materialized before the Aikawa's. Their eyes went wide at the sight of the golden-furred kitsune. Renamon glanced back and forth between them, seeing the emotion brimming in their body language. She bowed politely.
"Hello," she greeted. "I am Renamon. This is my partner, Rika."
"She-She looks just like her," Chizuru breathed.
"The voice is a bit different." Haruto bowed back, followed swiftly by Chizuru.
"I am sorry for any trouble my daughter might have caused," Chizuru said.
Rika pressed her lips together uncertainly. "Don't worry about it," she said awkwardly. She really didn't know what else to say. "I'm sure Impmon had it coming."
She put on a smile that she hoped would waylay their concerns, but she quickly saw it did nothing of the sort. She cleared her throat. "So, um…"
Great. Perfect timing to suddenly turn into Gogglehead.
"Why do you keep calling her your daughter?" Renamon asked, picking up the threads of conversation. "You said she isn't the real Yua."
Chizuru looked away. "It's difficult to explain. For-For a while, we thought she was Yua. Or maybe we just wanted to believe that. I don't know. It was all so confusing back then."
"Can you become like Yua?" Haruto asked Renamon. The kitsune's eyes widened slightly, but then nodded.
"Having seen her, yes. I believe I can take on her physical appearance. But why?"
Haruto rubbed the back of his head. "I guess…just to prove to myself that it could be done. That what I saw back then was real and that I didn't just imagine it."
Renamon frowned. "Rika?" she asked, glancing over at her partner.
"It's okay. Go ahead."
Renamon closed her eyes. Her form distorted and began to alter, becoming human. Dark hair and pale skin replaced golden fur, and her tail vanished from sight, replaced by the uniform she saw the girl wearing before. She heard Chizuru's breath catch.
"Satisfied?" she asked, opening her eyes again. Haruto nodded. He passed a hand over his eyes. When he lowered it, Renamon returned to her normal form.
"It was about five years ago," he began. "The end of March, I think. There were a bunch of us in a refugee camp from when that red blob took over Shinjuku. Its things attacked us."
"Yua's Renamon tried protecting us, but she couldn't-couldn't change like you other digimon do. She had been frustrated by that when we were forced to leave Shinjuku."
"You knew about her," Yamaki said, noting their familiarity.
"She came to Yua at the end of the August the giant pig monster rampaged down Meiji Avenue. She didn't try to hide her. She often took Yua's form even then, at her insistence and they would go out together just like that." A sad smile crossed his lips in memory of happier times. "Yua always wondered what it would be like to have a twin sister. She would have been actually, but…"
Haruto trailed off, and Rika saw Chizuru's hand creep to her abdomen. Her face twisted painfully, as if in recollection of an old trauma.
"The D-Reaper," Yamaki began. "You said it attacked your camp. And that your Renamon was unable to protect you."
"I remember it," Haruto nodded shakily. "I-I didn't exactly see what happened though. There were people screaming and running everywhere, trying to get away. I saw her get knocked down by some giant, green, horned…" His voice cracked, and then broke. Haruto took his glasses off as tears sprang to life in his eyes. "I-I fell. I heard Yua scream Renamon's name…"
"No!"
At the shout, all eyes turned up to find Yua standing before them, golden tail sweeping through the air behind her and blue eyes looking frantic.
"Yua…" Chizuru breathed. "Renamon."
"N-No! Mom! Yua… I…" Her form distorted, shrank, returning her to her twelve-year-old form, her face caked with blood. "I didn't fail! It was Renamon who died! Not me!" She looked down at her hand, seeing the blood on her palm. "I… Yua… Oh, Yua." She pressed her palms against her eyes. Her shoulders shook as she began to cry. "I failed. I failed. I failed. I killed her. My fault. All my fault. No! I- Yua! Yua…"
Her eyes shot up, glaring daggers at Renamon. "You! You did this! You made Mom and Dad think I died instead of Renamon! Why? Why?! Why would you do this to me?!"
Rika's hand fell toward her digivice, ready for the girl to jump her partner. Yet, even as she did so, she hesitated. Yua's distress pulled at her, and for an instant, she thought about Jeri and the raw anguish that poured from her when Leomon died. Here, she was witnessing it all over again, this time in the reverse.
"Yua!" Chizuru rushed over to the bloodied girl. "Renamon! Please, that's not what happened! You held her in your arms! I saw it! I…" Chizuru hitched her breath. "I saw my baby-girl dissolving while you held her. You were covered in her blood!"
Yua clutched at the sides of her head. Her body distorted again, and this time her arms changed. Claws replaced human hands and purple armguards digitized over her uniform's sleeves.
"No! No! No! That's not what happened! That was Renamon! That was Renamon! Not Yua!"
Yua let out an anguished cry, loud and long. Electricity leapt along the length of her body and it began to distort more rapidly. Her tail slashed the air with increasing agitation, becoming like a whip. She fell to her knees. The image of Yua faltered and began to pixilate. Yua looked up and…
And suddenly, she was there again on that horrible day, holding the girl in her arms while her body broke apart into innumerable shards of data; some new attack from the D-Reaper designed for the material world. Her blood-caked face stared lifelessly skyward while, all about her people ran in a mad panic, shrieking in terror. The D-Reaper's Horn Striker agent towered over them, its attention elsewhere and its body twisting in pain as if being pulled by some other power. She didn't know or care. All that mattered was Yua.
Only, she was gone. Gone for good. There wasn't even any data for her to load in the hopes of preserving something of her existence.
No. A thought occurred to her. I still have her image.
And just like that, with the last bits of her evaporating into nothing, she became Yua. Bloodied. Confused. Her whole body hurt. Renamon felt like a distant memory.
Yua's father was suddenly there, grabbing her by the arm, pulling her out of harm's way as the Horn Striker pinwheeled and began to lash out at its surroundings.
"Yua! We've got to get out of here!"
…not Yua.
She let herself be led by her father as they ran. And then by her mother. They ran until they found a place they believed to be safe. She no longer remembered where. Only a vague recollection that the danger had passed. She looked down at herself. Blood marred her body. Yua's blood.
A soft glow formed about her, and some of the blood – whatever remained fresh and warm – lifted off her, glittering like fireflies, before being drawn inside. Her blue eyes blinked, her body digesting this new data.
"Yua?"
Soulless, the blood data said nothing to her despite the wealth of new information it granted her. The link she shared with her partner remained cold and empty. So empty.
She found herself seated in front of Yua's mirror now. How long after, she didn't know. A bandage lay about her face, covering one of her eyes. Her lips moved and when they spoke, they were without feeling.
"I was a worthless partner to you," she said. Her hands lifted to her wrists and her nails found purchase on her skin. Nails became claws and they bit deep into flesh. New screams. More screams. Hers. Her parents.
And again, she found herself in front of the mirror, and with more bandages, this time about her wrists. She was crying again, but silently, so as to not disturb her family.
"I failed you," she said. "I failed to even pay for my failure. I cannot die without…h-hurting those who love you and whom you loved in return."
She clenched her eyes shut against the pain. "Your family misses you so much. They would miss you! They don't know! T-They think you lived while I died!"
She reopened her eyes and gazed at the mirror with new determination.
"Then, that's how it will be. How it should have been. I died so you would live. I will do all those things you should have. I will die."
"Renamon! Yua! Don't…!"
Yua's azure eyes snapped open at the sound of Chizuru's voice. She was leaning over her, tears streaming down her face. Yua's lips, trembling, spoke a single word.
"Mommy?"
Blackness struck her like a hammer, and all went silent.
11