Chapter 126
Mia heard it like a whisper in a dream-faint at first, then sharper. A scream.
Her eyes blinked open slowly, the weight of sleep still heavy on her lids. Confusion fogged her brain as the scream came again, louder, panicked, close. A woman. Then a crash.
She sat up, heart leaping to her throat. Her door burst open with a loud bang.
She wasn’t dreaming.
She let out a scream…
Before she could even move, rough hands grabbed her. Two men..strangers in black-dragged her off the bed. Her legs kicked out as she cried, her voice barely formed.
“Let go of me! Let me go! What the hell are you doing? Who are you people!”
Her cries were ignored. She was dragged through the hallway, her bare feet scraping against the floor.
The living room lights were on. Her breath caught when she saw her mother on her knees, hair disheveled, cheeks streaked with tears. Ann and Lily were next to her, hands tied behind their backs. And Ethan-Ethan was curled up on the ground, gasping in pain.
Mia tried to run to them, but the men yanked her back hard.
“What is the meaning of this?! What did we do?!” her mother screamed, her voice cracking.
One of the men walked up to her mom and slapped her, hard. The sound of the slap echoed.
“Shut up, whore,” the man spat, his face blank of any emotion.
Another man kicked Ethan in the stomach. He groaned, rolling over in pain.
Mia’s stomach twist. Her whole body was shaking. Her voice was trapped in her throat.
“Is that all of them?” one of the men asked from the doorway.
“Yes. That’s everyone,” another responded.
Tears spilled from Mia’s eyes as the men moved quickly, forcing all of them up and shoving them out the door.
The cold night air hit her hard… They were still in their nightclothes.
A black van waited just outside. They were shoved inside like animals, falling on top of each other. Mia held her sisters tightly as the door slammed shut behind them.
She tried to speak, but only sobs came.
“Help us! Somebody, please! Help us!” Ann screamed, hitting the side of the van with her fists.
Lily cried silently, holding onto her mother.
Mia looked at Ethan, who sat hunched over, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
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Chapter 126
“Who did you fucking offend this time?!” Ann screamed at Ethan, her voice rising into a shrick.
“What did we do? What did we ever do to deserve this?!”
No one answered. The van rumbled to life, and it sped off, taking them further from the world they knew, into darkness.
Mia trembled, pressing her forehead to the cold metal wall.
She thought about Alex.
She thought about his smile, his warmth. The way he called her “baby” when he was half asleep. The way his eyes softened when he looked at her.
This could be the last time she would ever see him.
How would Alex find her body, will their body be found. How would Alex react?
She wants to see him.
She sobbed, her heart breaking open inside her chest.
They were supposed to talk today.
She was supposed to get her admission. She was going to leave this town, finally. She was going to live.
Now she was in a van, being taken to God knows where: To probably be killed like animals.
Her hands balled into fists. She hit the window hard, again and again. Her voice joined the others.
“Somebody help us! Please!”
But the world outside was silent. There were no lights. No signs of help.
Mia closed her eyes. Prayed. Screamed. Cried.
Her heart ached not just for herself, but for her family. For her mom, for Ann and Lily. For Ethan, even if he had caused this, even if he had made mistakes.
Even if they are so horrible sometimes
She hates them, but they are still her family.
They can’t die like this.
She wasn’t ready to die.
None of them were.
And yet…
It felt like this could be the end.
The end of all of them.
The end of the Turners..
