Hopeless

Hopelessness washed over Monique like a suffocating wave. She looked upwards, pleading earnestly to any higher power that may hear her desperate prayer. "Please...save my daughter. I'll be forever grateful to whoever can give me that hope."

Regret flooded her being as she considered how differently she may have acted if someone had warned her about Sarah's unhinged state earlier. If only she had known that her impulsive decision to fire the woman would lead to this nightmarish moment. No matter how humiliated she had felt, she would have found another way - anything to avoid this anguish.

But in this cruel world, there was no salve for regret over choices already made.

As Monique wallowed in lament over her ill-advised past decisions, the large doors to the warehouse suddenly creaked open. A silhouetted figure stood backlit in the doorway, their face obscured by the harsh light.