Page 29 of Before Their After

“Let me out!” I’d screamed, ramming into the bedroom to no avail. It didn’t budge. I felt myself hyperventilating, taking in my surroundings and finding nothing but a bed and dressersurrounding me in the piss-colored room that smelled of dust and mold.

The soothing voice of a woman came through the door. “I’m going to open the door now, but I need you to take a step back and remain calm.” A breath caught in my throat as I hesitated. “We found you nearly dying on the streets of Santa Fe. I’ll explain everything—just. Please calm down, you’re scaring the kids.”

Indeed, there were stifled cries in the background.

“We?” I asked through the door, not missing a beat and doubting a woman and small children could get by on their own now. Not without a small arsenal.

“Yes. My husband and our kids.”

My vision blurred, and my heart pulsed. Pacing the room, I searched for another exit. Finding none but the window that was currently barred.No escape. I had no intention of being in an enclosed space with any man. Not after the men at my house. Not after the things I’d seen out on the road.

“Just you,” I whispered, unsure if she could hear my plea. “Please.”

There was shuffling beyond the door before the woman cleared her throat. “Sure. Just me.”

Taking a deep breath, I focused on grounding myself. Wanting to be clear minded for whatever came next.

Stepping back from the door, I answered her request. “I’m away.”

The door creaked open. A man with a gun on the other side of the crack met my stare. I ran forward, slamming my body into the door once more, chest heaving. Shame fell upon me at my cowardice. My family would be ashamed of my lack of courage. They’d stood proudly and without fear in their own deaths. Yet here I was …

“No. No, it’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. It’s just me coming in.” She pushed on when I offered no response. “I’m not going to hurt you either.”

The room remained silent aside from the sound of my quick, panicked breaths.

“He only wants to make sure I’m safe. We don’t … we don’t know you. Anything about you, but we saved you. There are worse things we could have done. We chose to save you instead. And now we need to make sure you’re safe to let out. At least while our kids are here.”

I pondered her words for a moment. “Where’s my katana?”

“You can have it back. After we talk.”

Slowly, I opened the door. A woman walked in, her face harsh and worn with exhaustion, but her voice was kind. A teacher’s voice.

“I’m Laurel,” she said. “I’d say nice to meet you, but the circumstances we meet under aren’t exactly pleasant. Are they?”

Her hand extended toward mine and I stepped back. My backside now pressed against the barred window.And why exactly do you think they are barred, Tomoe?I asked myself, letting my mind wander to the worst-case scenario.

“House came that way. Wasn’t exactly the nicest neighborhood before all this mess, but when you’re on the road all the time, shelter is shelter. What’s your name?” Observant and direct.Duly noted.

“Tomoe.”

“Well, Tomoe, let me fill you in on what you’ve missed.”

The door had been locked for their own safety. They didn’t know me and had small kids in the house, but her motherly instinct had prevented her from walking past my body that day. Not wanting me to be left out there on my own, an easy victim to the next passerby. She knew what it was like to be a woman in this world of ours.

Her eyes had gone sad when she’d noted that yes, all three kids were hers, though the youngest would resemble little to the other two. They did not share a father, but she’d hoped to raise him to be a better man than her attacker. She’d offered me a place to stay. A place to recover from the brutal infection that had taken over my body, allowing time for the antibiotics to do what they did.

I’d accepted her offer. There was a warmth to Laurel that made me want to stick around. I was still skittish, never able to be around them all at once. Most notably her husband. But they were graceful, treating me as if I were one of their own. Laurel and I grew closer as the weeks went on.

I’d recovered after the first week, but conveniently, either she or I would come up with another excuse to why I couldn’t leave just yet.A storm is coming, she’d say.Not enough food to last on my own, I’d offer the next week, saying I needed more time to gather materials.Our clothing was stolen,their oldest daughter, Emma, had stated another week.Too much fighting in the streets this week, we’d said on my last week there.

Memories ended my stay abruptly. A nightmare, back to the nightmyworld had ended. The day I’d lost it all. Pain seared through my shoulder, snapping me back to reality. Metal chimed against the tiled floors as my katana fell.

A guttural scream rang from my throat. “What? What happened?”

Laurel cradled me, putting pressure on my bleeding wound. They’d shot me. “Tomoe, it’s me, honey. It’s okay. You were dreaming. Come here, honey, you’re going to be okay.”

In the distance, a safety clicked, her husband placing his gun between his waistband and scooping up their now crying kids.

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