"Mom…"
The word barely left his lips, no louder than a whisper caught between a breath and a prayer. It sounded wrong, off, like something had gone sideways in reality.
A shoulder-length shiver ran down his spine as he stared blankly at the door.
"Mom," he repeated, quietly, trying to convince himself this wasn't real.
But the voice had been hers. Undeniably hers. The soft, distinct cadence, the slightly drawn vowels, the unmissable warmth — it was her.
'No… No, no, no, it couldn't be.'
'What the hell is she doing here?!'
His thoughts scrambled like ants over a kicked-over hill.
"She's… she's at my house. She's in my school. No… worse. She's right outside my damn room!"
Mikey felt a tight coil twist in his gut, his heart racing like it was trying to beat its way out of his chest.
This couldn't be happening. There was no way. Absolutely none.
"This has to be a nightmare." he murmured to himself.
