When he entered the room, it was in complete darkness. He could hear her familiar whimper emanating from the bed. He flicked the bedside lamp on and it revealed a pink palace of dolls and teddy bears. The walls were full of hand-painted murals and soft clouds. The bed was empty, apart from a small and bedraggled looking teddy bear. Behind the bed, and squeezed into a tiny space in the corner, was the little girl, curled into a small sobbing mass. He sat for a few minutes, unsure of what to do or say. He asked her if she wanted to play ‘I spy,’ but she didn’t respond. He picked up the teddy and sat it down behind the bed next to her. She didn’t look up, but instead felt blindly for it and dragged it into the tight ball with her. He told her he was her friend and he was not going to hurt her. He told her he was only going to be here for a very short time and her daddy would be home in a little while, probably in time for a bedtime story. She stopped sobbing. He told her he wished he had a little sister as brave and as beautiful as her. She climbed onto the bed and brushed her hair off her face. He realised as he looked into her eyes he meant what he’d said about the little sister. He wanted to put his arm around her, to comfort her, but he knew that wouldn’t be right. She started to cry again. She said he couldn’t be her friend because she was frightened of him. He told her she should never be frightened of him. She told him the mask was scaring her. He made her promise not to tell anyone if he took it off. They shook hands on it. Her hand was tiny and warm in his. She smiled for the first time when she saw his face. She moved closer to him and asked his name. He whispered it in her ear and she whispered hers to him. She said they were proper friends now.

The door pushed open. He looked up from her face to see Liam march in. He shouted something at them. She started to cry and gripped Cormac’s arm tightly. Liam raised his hand and Cormac wanted to stop him. He wanted to dive at him. He wanted to throw himself across her, to protect her. Instead, he sat there in a foggy silence and saw two flashes burst from the end of Liam’s outstretched hand. He felt her move away from him. His shirt and face were soaked. He looked around for her. He searched for her face in the mess but it was no longer there.

She was gone.

Liam pointed the gun at him and he hoped for a moment he would see the flash again, but he just told him to wait there and he’d be back to deal with him later. He sat in the corrosive silence of her room. He didn’t look for her again. His legs lifted him off the bed and started to take him down the stairs, slowly at first but then faster and faster until he was at the front door. He turned to see the woman on the chair. Her blouse was open and her chest was bare. She was pleading with him to stay and help her. He saw Liam’s outstretched hand pointing at him. He forgot about the woman and thought only of himself. The door frame beside his head splintered as he flailed through it and into the cold darkness of the night.