Tears poured from little Remmie's eyes, and I could see in his eyes that Joseph was trying to be strong. Camana was on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood that belonged to someone else. We all kept running, leaving the body behind, as hard as it was.

I watched over my shoulder as Camana was dragged away by her ankles, screaming for us to leave her behind. Ollie was a mess as she ran, and Remmie was pulling on Joseph's head to bring her back. I couldn't blame her. A young girl had just witnessed her mother's death, and there wasn't a detail she wouldn't remember.

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Gasping and choking on tears, sweat, and shock, we pulled to a halt inside a tiny cave. Besides the fact that we had just been running, Ollie looked as though it was hard for her to breathe. Joseph had set Remmie down, and he was on the ground with his head in his hands. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea as to what words would suffice.

Remmie walked over to me, and I sat down to talk to her. She sat with her legs spread across from me, fiddling with her feet. In a squeaky and shy voice, she asked me, "what's gonna happen to momma?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the little girl. "I don't think we'll be able to see her again," I choked.

At this, Joseph's head rose from its position. "But why?" she whimpered.

"She's in heaven now. God decided it was time for her to be with him. But don't worry," I reassured her as I reached for her hand. "We'll see her again, someday."

I looked towards Joseph, and through his tears, he managed a weak smile. I smiled back as his daughter moved next to me and leaned into my ribs. As I felt Remmie's soft breathing settle as I held her petite hand, I felt a sense of authority that I hadn't felt before. I swore to myself that day, as the orange light of the sun cast a glow on the rest of the world, that I would protect her. Looking down at her, I said, "Sleep now, Remmie. We've had a tiring night, haven't we?"

She nodded slowly into my side as her head fell into my lap. "You promise I'll see momma again?" she asked.

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes for a quick moment. I saw Lana's distraught face and Camana's hands covered in her blood. I saw each tear that fell from Ollie's face that night. I saw Joseph having to keep running, knowing that he had just left the body of his true love behind. And I heard Remmie's screams, remembering the endless sadness that followed. "Yes," I sighed. "I promise, you will see her again."

With that, the little girl's breathing steadied as she was encompassed in the void of sleep, and her father soon followed. But I stayed awake for hours, my hand never leaving hers.