Kisses in the shadows

Chapter 1

The only sound was a woman's scream, compelling me to run towards it.

Ascending the hollow staircase, I halted, gripped by sheer terror. The hair on my neck stood on end, tears clouded my vision, and my heart pounded as I gazed upon a man's body. Tears still glistened on his cheeks in the dim night light, his mouth agape, his left hand reaching towards the stair top as if struck down mid-ascent. His lifeless form lay there, and my heart sank. Questions of why, who, how, and when surged, my heartbeat thundering in my ears like a distressing symphony.

But what of the woman?

The thought of another soul in this frigid abode was staggering. I hastened up the stairs, glancing back at the dearly departed sprawled halfway up.

My pace quickened until I stopped, my heart plummeting further at the sight of another figure, a woman. Her ginger hair framed her pale face, her green eyes wide with terror. The scream seemed to echo in her gaze as I clutched my chest. She bore a resemblance to me, with similar eyes and nose. Could this be my mother? And the pale man?

I collapsed, overwhelmed by guilt, wondering if I could have saved her. Tears flowed anew as cries reached me, turning to see two infants in an off-white crib, barely a year old, sharing my green eyes.