Chapter 22: Past and Nightmares (2)
A woman embraced him tightly from behind, and her voice rang out in the quiet room. She comforted and soothed the child. "Baby, it will all be over soon. Dad will come soon, let's just wait; but please, don't make any noise, okay? Mommy will protect you, don't worry. Mommy is here with baby," Her tone was low and soft, but exceptionally clear and calming. As a result, the baby in her arms nodded, but his grip on his mother's dress tightened.
In the child's innocent mind, he trusted his mother completely, but the noise and chaos outside scared him. He had no idea what was going on in the truest sense, but even as a child, he could tell the difference between good and bad guys. Those fighting the guards outside were undoubtedly bad guys.
The noise outside continued for several minutes. Arren, as a child, could hear her mother's fast and nervous heartbeat. His mother's embrace became increasingly tight with each passing minute.
The entire mansion was dark, indicating that the power line had been tampered with. The memory becomes chaotic once more, making Arren's head hurt like torture; his mind tried everything it could to reject the incoming information, but it was futile.
The next scene was beyond the comprehension of a young boy like him. He witnessed his mother shielding him from intruders; she hugged his child as if her life depended on it. After being shot, her blood gushes from her lips. Her blood flowed through the floor and some of it made its way to the boy in her arms.
His mother did not scream but instead grunted in pain while still smiling at him and staring at him with a gentle gaze. It was as if the woman had anticipated the event and was prepared for it. Perhaps his mother did. She didn't even look at the enemy, nor did she make her final dying wish. "I love you, my Arren," was the last thing Arren heard from his mother.
She then shut her eyes. Her embrace had loosened slightly, but it remained. The intruders did not pursue and kill the young Arren; perhaps the woman was the only one important in their plan, or perhaps they assumed the young child couldn't possibly understand what was going on or remember their faces. Most likely a combination of the two.
After a series of gunshots continued and cars began to arrive, the men scattered and fled. The young boy didn't notice them because his attention was fixed on his mother, who was 'sleeping' and embracing him.
"Mom... mom..." the young Arren called out and nudge his mother with his trembling hands.
Unfortunately, the woman did not respond, and the only result was that the blood stained the child even more. He cried and called him a lot of times and he also started calling his father. He couldn't understand why his mother wouldn't want to respond to him.
When the Duke arrived, this strange and frightening sight was the first thing he saw. His wife lifelessly hugged his crying son and the blood that painted that whole image, the Duke's face paled as his mind went blank. This was the worst scenario he could think of while he was hurrying to get home.