The blast from the gunshot knocked me backwards onto the floor. I landed on my bottom at first, with my head slamming back against the carpet. I had expected the kick from the gun and had made sure to steady it against my shoulder before firing, but the strength of it still left me stunned.

The sound is what I hadn’t been prepared for. Not the sound of the gunshot, which had left my ears ringing. The sound of mom’s anguished cries filled the trailer, a ghoulish mix between a sobbing and screaming. Death wasn’t supposed to be this noisy.