Chapter 6 - The Viper's Strike
The family's facade of mourning evaporated in a single heartbeat, replaced immediately by the desperate, ugly panic of guilty conspirators. The middle-aged woman with the tight bun lunged forward, her face contorting into a mask of terrifying, defensive rage. She thrust her hand out, as if trying to physically catch the child's words out of the air.
"Mindy, stop!" she shrieked, her voice shrill and commanding, dripping with venom. "She doesn't know what she saw!"
Beside the casket, the elderly man in the wheelchair leaned forward aggressively, his frail arm shooting out to point a bony, judgmental finger directly at the sobbing little girl. His face was a portrait of vicious denial. They were unified in their assault, turning instantly on a traumatized child to protect themselves. The aggressive gaslighting, the sheer ferocity of their denial, was all the confirmation Elias needed.
