Page 2 of Liars

“Kaylor Steele.” Someone spoke my name.

I wanted to look at them. I wanted to answer, but it was pointless. Unconsciousness took me again.

My eyes flickered open a second time to the blinding glare of hospital lights. I blinked slowly, my head throbbing, my body heavier than it had ever felt.

“Kaylor,” someone said gently from my side. “Can you hear me?”

I gave the barest nod.

“You’re in the hospital. You’re safe now,” they informed.

I tried to speak, but my throat was raw and dry, the words catching before they could form. Then, the memories rushed back in jagged flashes—the alley, my dad’s laugh, my mom’s hand reaching out, the gunfire.

“Where…where are they?” I croaked.

Oh, God, please let them be okay. Please let this be a nightmare. Please. Please. Please.

The nurse hesitated, her expression softening with quiet sympathy.

I didn’t need to hear the words. The ache in my chest was answer enough. I turned to the window, tears slipping silently down my cheeks, and stared at the gray sky, wishing the storm had never stopped.

“I’m sorry. Your parents didn’t make it.”

The fuzziness in my head had lessened, but it hardly mattered as a sickening sadness overtook me.

I lay still in the hospital bed, the quiet hum of monitors filling the room. Staring at the ceiling, pieces of the last day with my parents fragmented in my mind. The play. The music. The costumes. Leaving the theater. The alley. The masks. And finally—the gunfire.

Fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead. Every sound felt distant as if the world had shifted to a place just beyond my reach.

I clenched my fists against the crisp, sterile hospital sheets, my fingers brushing the bandages wrapped tightly around my shoulder. The pain was dull and throbbing, but the emptiness in my chest was far worse.

A soft knock broke the silence. A woman in a police uniform entered, her expression gentle but professional.

“Kaylor, I’m Detective Reyes,” she said, pulling a chair to the side of the bed. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and I’m so sorry for your loss. But I need to ask you some questions when you’re ready. Anything you can remember might help us find the men who did this.”

I turned my head slightly, my voice barely a whisper. “Why? They’re gone… It won’t bring them back.” I was feeling fairly defeated and testy. The emptiness inside me made it difficult to care about anything.

Detective Reyes hesitated, the weight of the moment pressing on her. “No, it won’t. But it might stop them from hurting anyone else. And you deserve answers, Kaylor. You deserve justice.”

The wordjusticefelt hollow, like a shell of something I might have once believed in but couldn’t grasp anymore. I closed myeyes, and the image of Dad falling and Mom’s outstretched hand burned behind my eyelids.

“I didn’t… I didn’t see their faces,” I finally said, my voice cracking. “They wore masks. Black, with…something on them.”

“Something? Like a design?” Reyes leaned forward, her tone calm but persistent.

“I’m not sure… It was dark… I don’t know,” I murmured, tears slipping down my temples. “It was so fast. They didn’t say anything. They just—” My voice broke, silent sobs shaking my body. I didn’t want to relive the moment. I wanted to banish it forever.

The detective placed a reassuring hand on the edge of the bed. “You’ve done more than enough. If you remember anything else, anything at all, let us know. We’ll do everything we can to find them.” She placed a small business card on the table beside my bed.

When Reyes left, the room grew impossibly quiet again. I returned to staring out the window, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass. I hated how the world kept moving, indifferent to my shattered life.

I had so many unanswered questions—ones I would have to face soon enough. But as long as I remained in the hospital, I could ignore them. The pain in my shoulder and the pain in my heart were another matter. Neither would let me forget.

The staff brought food, but the tray remained untouched. I had no appetite. Not even for the cup of warm broth.

A soft knock startled me out of the numb trance I’d fallen into. This time, when the door creaked open, a familiar face appeared—Carson, my best friend.

My red eyes welled with fresh tears as he rushed to my side, his dark, sandy hair flopping over his forehead.

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