A love undisclosed

The world tilted on its axis. Scarlett's heart hammered a frantic tattoo against her ribs, each beat a drumbeat of terror echoing in the deafening silence that followed the gunshot. Her legs, like jelly, threatened to give way beneath her. Where had everyone gone? The world had been a tense tableau just moments ago, and now it was a horrifying still life.

Then, a choked rasp cut through the fog of fear. 

"Scarlett, please help me," Valentina whimpered, her form crumpled at the foot of the stairs like a broken doll. 

Shame washed over Scarlett like a tidal wave. How could she have been so consumed by her own terror that she hadn't noticed?

A million hopeless thoughts swarmed Scarlett's mind. Images of Carlo's worried face and the others' tense postures flashed before her eyes. Had they been injured? Captured? Where were they in this sudden, oppressive silence? The unanswered questions felt like needles pricking her skin.