‘There’s no time for right or wrong,’ I said.

Hate is contagious. A few seconds after Donald Trump has told me something hateful, somebody else repeats it. He has legitimized what people only dare say in their kitchens and bedrooms.

This guy was a humorless bag of nothing but.

I knew then I was going to die in the street without ever seeing Holly again. All because I tried to help an old woman, proving for all eternity that no good deed goes unpunished.

War is a contagion.

But I was still determined to protect her. It might be the one good thing I would ever do in my life. I wondered if God would even notice.

A riverless silence made the air heavy.

I wanted to see the bullet coming, wanted to know the exact moment of my death.

For an instant I saw before me the young girl this used to be.

Even now I can’t describe the fear that contaminated my blood like black ink.