I watched Carter slowly stand up from his seat and the officers took a step towards him.

"What's going on officers?" John asked.

They ignored him and looked at Carter.

"Step aside, Mr. Grey." Officer Hardy said.

My mother and I looked at one another, unsure of what was going on, and looked back at the scene.

Carter obliged to Hardy's instructions and took a few steps away from the ambulance. After he moved the officers turned their attention to John.

"John Hayes, you are under arrest for the murder of Aaliyah and Evelyn Monroe." Officer Hardy said as he grabbed John's arm.

"What are you talking about?" He yelled as he thrashed in his hold.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." Officer Hardy continued as he roughly placed the handcuffs on John.

I wanted to reach out and help him but there was nothing I could do. My mother on the other hand was screaming and trying to stop them from pulling him away.

"No!" She screamed.

I reached out and grabbed her to pull her to me but she fought me as well. She didn't even have a reaction like this to her death.

After several failed attempts to hit Hardy, her hand finally connected with his in a hard slap. My mother began attacking Hardy severely and I couldn't stop her.

"You know he's innocent!" She screamed as she clawed at his face.

Officer Hardy looked at John as if he was the one who was doing the harming and he reached for his weapon.

In slow motion I watched Hardy point his weapon at John. I ran in front of John as if I could stop what was about to happen, but of course...I couldn't.

I watched the bullet from Hardy's weapon leave the barrel with a loud bang and go right through me.

I sobbed with my eyes trained on him as I heard a body drop behind me.

My mother's blood-curdling scream confirmed what I already knew had happened. I fell to my knees on the gravel road and screamed as loud as I could.

My world felt like it was crashing down onto me once again and I couldn't take it. I sobbed into my hands and kept my back to my mother and I heard her cry and shuffle on the floor beside me.

"John, please." She wailed. "Wake up!"

I lifted my head to look at the murderer in front of me with a deadly glare. Medics rushed behind me and I kept my eyes glued to Hardy.

He was looking down at something behind me with a blank look on his face, the gun still in his hand.

I hated him more than anything. He just shot John, my mother had died under his watch and he did nothing to prevent me from being killed.

Could it be him? My mind raced as I put together my memories and the events of today. Hardy might have been working with Elijah, that would've made sense.

It would explain why he said nothing when John was arrested, especially since he knew damn well John walked into the house seconds before he did.

He had the opportunity and chance to kill my mother. I hadn't looked outside to see the cop car while the man was in the house, so right now...he was the number one suspect.

"Hardy, what the fuck?!" The other officer screamed.

"I was being attacked Sir, what did you want me to do?" He yelled back.

The investigator rubbed his face and shook his head.

"Is he alive?" He asked the people behind me.

They ignored him as they worked tirelessly to resuscitate him.

"Clear." A man said as he brought down the defibrillator to shock his heart with a jolt that made me flinch.

I heard my mother cry once again and my heart sank even lower.

A few moments later the urgency died down and a voice spoke up. "Time of death 9:37 pm."

It was then that I decided to turn around. The world became quiet as I watched Carter pull his hair in frustration as tears fell on his red cheeks. I watched my mother look up at the sky, her body shaking with sobs.

I walked over to her and as I pulled her into a hug, the world had a voice again. The sound of an ambulance came closer to us and the medics were moving out of the way so people could move John's body into a bag.

The investigator walked over to Carter and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Carter remained unmoving as he stared down at John's body. Bloodstained his white shirt as his eyes became emotionless.

"Go home, Carter." Hardy insisted.

Carter looked at him blankly slowly turned to walk home.

"Notify his family and someone call the Monroe daughter." The investigator commanded. A few officers nodded their heads and walked away.

My mother and I remained with our arms around one another as the scene died down. The police cars that had previously flooded the streets were now gone and there was a team of people in hazmat suits cleaning the house.

I didn't know how many hours had passed that we sat there in front of John's pool of blood. I only realized how long we were sitting there when I heard birds in the distance and the sun had started rising. It had to be dawn.

My mother and I were just in the middle of the street as cars in the street occasionally passed by.

I knew she felt miserable but I just felt empty. I no longer felt sadness or joy, just anger. Anger at our situation. Anger at the person who was destroying the lives of my family. Anger at Hardy. But above all, I was angry at myself.

I basked in my emptiness as my mother's cries turned into soft sniffles. I leaned my head against hers and remained quiet as we silently comforted one another.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the cool, dewy morning air. It filled my lungs with a sharp and freezing pain, but I welcomed it. I'd rather feel that than nothing.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I tensed.

"I never thought I would see you two again."