Part 4: The Miracle
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
The vibration against her thigh was so violent in the silence that Margaret jumped. She nearly dropped the match on her own boot.
She gasped, clutching her chest. The flame in her hand wavered, burning close to her fingertips.
Buzz. Buzz.
She stared at her pocket. Who? The police? Had they found her?
She looked at the house. The gas was evaporating. If she didn’t throw it now, she would lose her chance.
Buzz. Buzz.
It wouldn’t stop. It was relentless.
With a curse, she shook out the match and dropped it. She ripped the phone from her pocket, ready to scream at whoever was interrupting her justice.
The screen lit up her face. DOCTOR EVANS.
Margaret froze. Why would the doctor call? To tell her it was over? To tell her Emily was gone?
If Emily was dead, then there was no reason to hesitate. She would answer, hear the news, and then burn them all to hell.
She slid her thumb across the screen. “Is she gone?” she choked out.
“Margaret?” Dr. Evans’ voice sounded frantic, breathless. “Margaret, where are you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, eyeing the gasoline-soaked porch. “Is my daughter dead?”
“No!” Dr. Evans shouted. “No, Margaret, listen to me. She’s awake.”
Margaret stood paralyzed on the lawn. “What?”
“It’s… I’ve never seen anything like it,” the doctor stammered. “Her vitals stabilized ten minutes ago. She opened her eyes. She squeezed the nurse’s hand. She’s asking for you, Margaret. She’s trying to speak.”
Margaret dropped to her knees in the wet grass. The world spun. “She’s… she’s asking for me?”
“She’s terrified, Margaret. She keeps saying ‘Mom.’ You need to get back here. We need you to keep her calm. If her blood pressure spikes, she could hemorrhage again. You need to be here now.”
Margaret looked at the house. Inside, the silhouettes of Brad and his mother were still moving. They were alive. They were free.
But Emily was awake.
The realization hit her like a thunderclap. If she threw that match now, the police would come. She would be arrested for arson and double homicide. She would go to prison for the rest of her life.
And Emily? Emily would wake up in a hospital bed, broken and terrified, with no mother to hold her hand. She would be alone.
Margaret looked at the lighter in her hand. It was the weight of vengeance.
Then she thought of Emily’s hand in the ICU. The weight of love.
“I’m coming,” Margaret sobbed into the phone. “Tell her I’m coming. Tell her Mom is coming.”
She scrambled to her feet. She grabbed the empty gas can—she couldn’t leave evidence. She ran back to her truck, her lungs burning, leaving the house standing, leaving the monsters safe in their den.
She drove away, tears blurring her vision. She hadn’t burned their world down. Not with fire.
But as she dialed her lawyer’s number on the hands-free system, Margaret realized there were other ways to destroy a life.
