9th October 2014;

The house was in flames and it became unbelievably suffocating in there. Tears kept flowing and her wails turned into howls. Her body kept shaking as her mind debated whether to approach them or not. She didn't know what to do. She'd crawl an inch forward then ten backwards. There was just too much blood. 

Glancing at the glass shards everywhere, Rho put on her heels again, finally deciding on nearing her parents.

"Baby girl," her father whispered when he heard her sobbing, the pieces breaking further under her weight, "are you there?" He grunted trying to open his eyes.

"Dad!" She gasped, scrambled to her feet and ran to him. A small flicker of hope grew inside her. Dropping down on her knees in a sticky puddle, she held his hand carefully hugging it. "Oh my god, you're still alive." She mumbled, kissing his knuckles. "Can you stand up?" The answer was obvious but she had to ask, nonetheless, hoping and looking for a way to at least save her father. But, the way he shook his head said it all. "No! I'll carry you. I can do it. Please, dad. Please." She begged. He sighed and his fingers tightened faintly around hers. She sniveled, eyes full of tears.

"Look in there, dear." He couldn't speak easily. Her gaze followed the direction his index pointed at. "Papers," he coughed, "The office. Last shelf. Bring them, quickly."

Standing up, she dashed to his office down the hall. The fire had started to reach the back of the house. She pushed the door open and hurried to the wall stocked with various books, encyclopedias and novels. Her heart ached for all the inked pages she was yet to read but watched them burn. She rummaged through them but didn't know what to take until a stack of papers caught her eyes. So, she hastily took them all out and rushed back to her father.

Rho kneeled next to him, placed the handful of files beside her and started shaking him carefully for his eyes were closed. That red liquid wouldn't stop flowing from his wounds. "Dad?" She panted, her fingers skimming his wrist as she hesitantly searched for his pulse.

"Rho," he groaned and squinted at her feebly. "Run. Hide." He struggled. "Tom. He'll help." He coughed hysterically spurting blood. She whimpered. "We love...dear...forgive me," His words were slow, scattered as his voice faltered. With one last surge on energy, Joshua breathed. "You're on your own now, baby girl. Sorry..." He looked at her with glossy eyes, his lids dropping down.

And, he was gone.

She was shocked unable to blink. Words escaped her. Ashes flew past her and her gaze was fixed on their family pictures on the fireplace.

She glanced down at her parents, feeling dizzy. "Dad?" She croaked, her voice sounding weird but barely audible over the falling house. "Dad? Mom? Don't leave me, please." She begged her hands trembling as the squeezed her chest. She felt her throat close up. "No!" She howled. "This is just a nightmare." She kept repeating then closed her eyes and opened them again seconds later.

The weight of the truth was so heavy, her heart clenched so hard. "No!" She shouted on top of her lungs. "Who were those monsters? Tell me! What did they want?" She kept shaking them. "Tell me!" Rho gasped, struggling for air. "Don't leave me. You can't. Please...No!"

The house was burning and as time went by the flames grew bigger. It was getting harder for her to breath. She bent down and hugged them tightly for it was the last goodbye. She had to leave. The house was already falling apart. And as tempting as it was to lie down next to them and let the fire do its job. She pushed herself up and headed to the door after closing her parents' eyes.

At least they died next to each other, holding hands. Glancing at them for the last time, her puffy eyes brimmed with tears yet again.

On her way out her dress caught the fire. "Fuck." She muttered and her eyes widened. She wasn't allowed to curse in front of her parents. Turning to apologize, totally forgetting the fact that her dress was on fire, Rho was met by corpses and crackling noises. Her lips quivered.

She sighed, defeated, and ripped off the hem of the dress getting few burns on the way. She threw it away and wrapped the jacket that Aidan had given to her around the papers hugging them, to keep them from getting burnt or drenched. The moment she got out, Rho gasped for air as the rain drenched her.

She didn't know what do or where to begin. She had no idea where to go from here.

The burns on her legs ached. Rho sunk to the ground, feeling dizzy. A light breeze brushed against her skin and goosebumps rose on her flesh. Her father's last words on replay in her mind, and her mother's screams clawing the walls of her heart...She shook her head and breathed heavily starting a torrent of tears while fumbling to remove her heels.

Throwing them away, she howled in agony and pounded the ground with her fists. Is this my imagination, again?, a hopeful ponder. It's not, she shook her head. She wouldn't dare kill her parents even if it was just in her mind.

Pushing herself up to her feet, Rho headed toward the street.

Stopping dead in her tracks, her fingers tightened around the jacket clutching it closer to her chest. They've seen her. Her eyes popped out of their sockets in sheer fear.

The poor soul backed away slowly at first, stumbling on the shoes as she turned and ran to the back of the house. Pieces of the place; what she, hours ago, called home, flew in the air the fire swallowing it whole. She jumped in the shallow lake, the guys following suit.

Making her way through it, she finally reached the other side. Survive, her mind kept replaying. And God, what a person can do when all they are thinking about is surviving.

Climbing up the edge, Rho started running with no particular direction. "Please, stop." She heard the closest one beg breathlessly from behind. 

Her feet slapped the uneven ground mercilessly, her ragged breaths deafening. She whimpered, not knowing what way to head. They were catching up to her. Another sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through her and she made the decision to head down the forest.

The evasion almost succeeded. That was until they started firing at her.

"Shit." She hissed, as one scratched her arm and another, her left hip. She almost fell on her face from the sudden contact of the bullet with her skin but quickly regained her balance. Her brain tried to stay focused and ignore the ache in her bare bleeding feet from stepping on the branches and rocks scattered everywhere.

She finally reached civilization. Bewildered, Rho ran across the street, stopping in the middle of a crossroad. Scared from the approaching footsteps, her gaze roamed around. Adrenaline pumping again, she frantically made the decision to go straight ahead. Rounding a corner, a bullet tore through her shoulder and she fell over. "Shit." She growled.

Standing up again quickly, she took another turn, squeezing her injury with her other hand. Squeezing her body behind some trash cans, she waited until the guys passed.

Rho forced herself up a small rusty ladder and climbed up till she found an opened window. After sneaking in, she closed it, her shoulder throbbing.

Breathing heavily, she ducked down but the pain in her limbs overtook and she collapsed on the cold tiles, her heart beating wildly. They came back. She heard them fumble with the garbage. "We're so dead, man." She lay on her side praying for them to leave, silent laments escaping. "Let's split up..." She zoned out, eyes barely open.

"They're gone." A soft voice spoke from the dark, after what seemed like forever. Then the light flickered on. Rho blinked trying to adjust her eyes to the burning light.

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