Page 12 of Tracking Shadows

“Don’t touch them,” Dad says. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” the man replies coldly, his eyes sliding over to Mom. “I think we’ll start with her.”

“Please, don’t do this,” Mom pleads. “He’s telling the truth. We don’t have anything.”

“Your husband’s not cooperating, lady,” the man says. “And we’re out of patience.”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Ivan shouts, stepping forward with his fists clenched. “We don’t know what you’re talking about! Just leave us alone!”

But before Ivan can get any closer, one of the men grabs him, holding him back as he struggles. “Stay out of this, kid,” the man growls, pushing Ivan back roughly.

And then, before I can even comprehend what’s happening, the man raises his gun and shoots. The sound is deafening, and everything seems to move in slow motion. Mom’s eyes widen in shock, her hand reaching out toward Dad, but she never makes it. She crumples to the floor, the life draining from her eyes as blood spreads across her chest.

“Mom!” Ivan and I scream in unison, our voices overlapping in horror and despair. I’m shoved down to the floor, the pain of hitting it sharp and all-consuming.

I look up at Dad, and what I see shakes me to my core. His face crumbles as he watches Mom fall, the strength I’ve always admired in him shattering in an instant. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen fear in his eyes, the first time I’ve seen him truly broken.

“No! You bastards!” Ivan’s voice is raw, filled with rage and grief as he tries to break free from the man holding him. “You’ll pay for this!”

But then Dad grits his teeth. “I don’t have it. You’ve already killed her for nothing.”

“You expect us to believe that?” the man snarls, his gun still trained on Dad. “We know you’re lying.”

“I’m not,” Dad insists, but he sounds hollow, the fight drained from him. “There’s nothing here.”

The man’s expression hardens, and he steps forward, pressing the gun to Dad’s chest. “Wrong answer again”

Another shot rings out, and I watch, helpless and horrified, as Dad’s body jerks and falls to the ground, lifeless beside Mom’s. The two people who meant everything to us, gone in the blink of an eye.

“No! Dad!” Ivan’s scream echoes in the empty space, filled with the unbearable pain of loss.

“No,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the chaos. “No, no, no . . ...”

I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me up, but I barely register it. All I can see is Dad’s body, lying there like a broken doll. He was so strong, so invincible, and now he’s gone. Just like that.

“Irina!” Ivan’s voice breaks through the fog in my brain, and I turn to see him struggling against one of the men, his face twisted in anger and fear. He’s trying to protect me, trying to fight them off, but it’s useless. They’re too strong, too many.

“Don’t touch her!” Ivan shouts as he throws himself at the man holding me. “Leave her alone!”

“No, Ivan!” I scream, but it’s too late. The man backhands him across the face, sending him crashing to the floor. Before he can get up, two more men grab him, dragging him away from me.

“Run, Irina!” Ivan yells. “Run and don’t look back!”

But I can’t run. I can’t leave him. I try to reach for him, try to stop them, but I’m too slow, too weak. They’re already dragging him out the door, his screams echoing in my ears, mingling with the sound of my own sobs.

“Ivan!” I scream, struggling to break free from the man holding me, but he’s too strong. “Ivan, don’t go! Please!”

But he’s gone. They’ve taken him, just like they took Dad, just like they took everything from me.

And then, it’s over. The men are gone, and the house is silent once more. The only sound is the harsh, uneven rhythm of my breathing and the soft crackle of the radio still playing in the background, completely out of place in the aftermath of destruction.

I’m alone. They’re gone—my family is gone.

I don’t know how long I sit there, staring at the empty doorway, my mind numb with shock. The pain in my back is sharp and hot, a constant reminder that I’m still here, still alive, even though I feel like I’m dying inside. I can’t move, can’t think, can’t do anything but sit there and let the horror wash over me.

They’re gone. Mom, Dad, and Ivan. They’re all gone. And with them, everything that ever mattered, everything that ever made sense, has been ripped away.

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