He hugged his mother tightly, not noticing that she was twice as tall as him. It was how he remembered her, the little that he did, so it was just right. He was crying freely now, but that was okay, because she was okay. He wasn't broken, and she was hurt- but she'd make everything all right.

She said his name as he squeezed tighter, but then all her dead weight was on him. She smelled like blood and rot, and she was gone. "Mommy?" he asked, desperately trying to push her to the side, wanting to see her face alive and well. She rolled to the ground, much in the same way she did when she was first pushed out of the car. Gabriel went with her. "No. No, Mommy, don't. Don't leave me! Don't leave!" He clung to the body, thinking that he might just die there with her.