Page 154 of Unravelling The Beast

As I yell, I wrap my arm beneath her almost lifeless body and pull her towards me.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"

She gently opens her eyes and turns her head to look up at me, and my brows furrow.

"Who the fuck has done this to you!?"

With a small gasp in her throat and blood on her lips, she begins to speak.

"Charles, he's returned. He knows that I betrayed him."

I shake my head.

"What? How?"

In a daze, she swings her head from side to side before reaching out her bloodied palm and placing it on my face as she speaks.

"What has happened to you?"

"They fucking chased me, crashed into me, and took Wren when I was knocked out!"

Before responding, she stares at me, fading in and out of consciousness.

"You must go find her, Arlo."

"I'm working on it, Mom.You must give me access to contact Ghost. I need this shit pushed forward so I can fucking kill him."

She shakes her head once again, blood oozing from the corner of her mouth.

"He watches everything, Arlo, and he knows what's going on right now.When the time comes for you to kill your father, you'll know when he's willing to let you finish him."

Confusion causes me to raise my voice.

"How!?"

"Trust me, you'll know."

She looks into my eyes as she starts to tear up, and she speaks with a tremble in her throat.

"I'm so fucking sorry, baby. I swear to you, I had no idea. I didn't realize what he did until long after."

My eyes welled up with tears just looking at her, but I'm not sure what she meant.

"What the hell are you talking about, Mom?"

She strokes my face with her palm, taking in my features, tears falling from the corners of her eyes as she responds.

"You were drugged, Arlo, and you didn't know what you were doing..."

My eyebrows pinch and my eyes pierce into hers.

"What the fuck are you talking about!?"

Her hand drops unexpectedly as she closes her heavy, watery eyes.

I shake her as I yell in panic.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"