Where There's a Will, There's a Way

As she kneeled on the ground, hands up, gun pointed at her head, Rebecca clasped the heart-shaped locket that was around her neck. Suddenly, memories started flooding her brain. She remembered when he gave it to her for her 21st birthday. Inside the locket was a picture of him on one side and her on the other, both in their bathing suits. It was in memory of their first vacation together in Cabo. Then she looked down at her hand and saw the tan line where her wedding ring should be. Even though he had been gone six years, she still wore it. She had taken it off that morning to wash her hands and forgot to put it back on in the scramble to gather the kids and any supplies they might need as the emergency alarm blared deafeningly. These items were the last two physical pieces of her husband that she had and now there was only the one. And this crazy, terrified man was yelling that she should give him her treasure in exchange for her life.

It was just this morning that everything seemed to be a regular day. She got up as she usually did at seven so she could have thirty minutes of peace before Isaiah and Melody woke up. She went downstairs, made a pot of coffee and sat in the blissful silence until seven thirty to wake the kids for breakfast. As they were eating, Isaiah spilled the syrup all over the table, as he was prone to always spilling something during mealtimes. She took off her ring and set it in the little dish next to the soap to wash her hands and the table. That is when the strange noise started, and she realized it was the emergency system. She could see people running around frantically outside through the kitchen window. She gasped as she saw Mr. Abrams car plow through a fire hydrant down the street. Not knowing what exactly was happening, she just dried her hands on her pants and told the kids to hurry and pack some clothes in a backpack. Rebecca grabbed the first aid kit, some waters, her wallet and keys and they all headed outside to the car. That is when the man with the gun approached them in the driveway.

Now, as she looked to her right, she saw her children whimpering beside her, frightened because they had no concept of the chaos the world had been thrown in and why they were being subjected to it. A being who once was their neighbor was gnawing off the hand of his struggling, screaming wife on the lawn two doors down. In all this chaos, Rebecca could only focus on her true love and not losing her last piece of him. She told her kids to close their eyes and not open them again until Mommy said so. Then she reached behind her back and pulled out her own gun, shooting the man multiple times in defense. The man had managed to shoot her in the arm before he died, but it was through and through so she knew she would be ok. She grabbed her sweater and tied it tightly around her arm, planning to deal with the wound later. She told the kids to keep their eyes closed, grab her hand and run. They made it to the car and drove off through a blaze of fire, murder and mayhem. Where they were going, she did not know, but one thing for sure was she would protect them at all costs and never compromise her one true love.