Luke returned to his bedroom, tortured by the moans and sobs coming from his mother in the living room down below. The same noise could be heard by Nancy as Luke cried in his bedroom up above.
Sometime after midnight, Luke drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by footsteps in the hallway and the creaking of Robby’s bedroom door. Luke’s heart rate spiked as he listened intently. His mother’s crying had stopped. The house was still. Maybe she went to bed? Luke waited, all was quiet. He rolled over and closed his eyes until he heard a soft crash and the sound of something breaking. Luke got up and walked down the hall towards Robby’s room. The potent stench of alcohol hit his nostrils as he pushed the door open. Robby was passed out on the bed. The ceramic cactus lay broken on the floor.