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day 8: hospital

her mother didn't look up at her. sam didn't walk closer, didn't want to, couldn't walk closer.

her father was on the concrete, his torso ripped open. his ribcage had been pulled apart, bones splintering and sticking every which way. her mother was sitting on top of him, inside of him. her hands dug into him and pulled at his insides. a bloody piece of meat hung from her mother's mouth. her clothes, her arms, her body and face and hair, it was soaked in her husband's blood.

sam heard something rip. she felt nauseous. she held down a scream that tore at the inside of her throat. her knees felt week and she stumbled backward a bit, fighting to stay standing. she didn't want to see any more, but she couldn't look away.

her mother's eyes looked up, connecting with sam's. she slowly began to stand up, one foot inside her husband's body. the piece of meat fell from her mouth onto the concrete with a wet plop. her mother's voice gurgled and blood spilled from her mouth with each word.

"samantha, honey, you should've told me you'd be home for dinner."

her mother slowly walked towards her. sam, her feet frozen to the ground, watched as she got closer. she was looking right into her mother's eyes. it wasn't until her mother was nearly within reaching distance that sam finally took a step backward. she faltered, and she landed hard on the pavement, still not looking away from her mother's eyes.

"samantha, you have to eat your dinner."

"mommy, i'm sorry, i couldn't find a doctor. i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry-"

sam didn't even realize she was talking. the words were coming out fast, no thought behind them. she crawled backward, her hands behind her and feet in front of her, all the while watching her mother come closer. sam couldn't pick herself up off the ground. her movements at this point were involuntary, completely controlled by instinct. her thoughts were racing, incomprehensible. she crawled backwards into the hospital. her mother lumbered forward, slowly getting closer to her daughter.

"-i love you mommy please i've done my homework i haven't done anything wrong i'm doing well in school even mr. narmburg will tell you i'm improv-"

sam's mother opened her mouth and gurgling noises rose from her throat. a rush of blood came out of her mouth. her cheeks became covered in streams of red as it flowed from her eyes. suddenly her legs gave out and she fell forward onto the floor. her hand grasped sam's ankle and the girl screamed. she scrambled backward and used the wall to lift herself up. her mother came towards her, pulling her body across the floor with just one arm. her legs and right arm trailed along with her, limp and useless.

sam rushed into the first room she saw and slammed the door shut behind her. she curled herself into a ball and pushed the back of her body against the desk. she trembled in the triage room and watched through the glass walls as her mother pulled herself across the floor. she reached the glass door and reached her one good hand up. it landed on the glass and slid back down to the floor, leaving a red smear across the glass.

"samantha, don't be afraid," her mother gurgled. "your father and i love you."

sam rested her head between her knees and felt the warm wetness of tears sliding down her face.

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