My dad’s face was blank, but his eyes were overcome with emotion. “You’re going to kill us all anyway. Just be done with it.”

“You think you’re smart, don’t you? You think pretending you don’t care will make me change my mind.” Desmond tilted his head. “Well, it worked.” He strode across the room, snatched the machete, and ordered the men who were holding my mom to step back. “But I don’t think this is what you wanted.”

Before my mom could get up or do anything, he kicked her in the stomach, then sliced across her throat with the machete. My eyes were blurry with tears, and all I could see was blood spreading under my mom’s body. She choked and spluttered, trying to lift her arm, but then she went still, her empty eyes staring across the room at my dad. I’d rarely seen my father cry, but tears were streaming freely down his face now.

Desmond stepped back to avoid the pool of blood and took a deep breath. “I’m getting bored of this.” He looked around the room, then pulled out a gun and fired at my brothers until he was out of bullets. The grip of the man who was holding me was the only thing keeping me up. I stared at the floor so I wouldn’t see my brothers choke on their own blood.

“Oops,” Desmond said. “My aim was a little off. I hit all the wrong places, so this will take a bit longer than... Ah, never mind.” I heard him toss the gun to the floor as he passed very close to me. I shuddered, but his focus didn’t seem to be on me, because my sister whimpered.

“I beg you. My daughters are not a threat to you,” my dad said, his voice cracking.

“This one’s pretty, but too old,” Desmond said. “Such a shame.”

My father’s shout and the gurgling sound close to me that followed brought a wave of nausea to my stomach. My sister. She was gone too.

When Desmond’s feet stopped next to me, I looked up straight into my dad’s wide eyes that were now red from tears.

“This one, on the other hand,” Desmond said, and his finger brushed my cheek, making me flinch. “I have big plans for her. What do you think, Genaro?” He glanced at my dad. “I can train her to become the perfect wife. She’ll bear me plenty of children.”

My dad bared his teeth, and tried once again to free himself and get up, but it was futile. I was too numb to even react to what Desmond was saying. My mind couldn’t comprehend any of it. I just wanted to be with my family again.