- 9 hours ago
Rooftop Betrayal Ep
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00My daughter died. She died in a mall hostage crisis.
00:03My husband was the SWAT sniper on the rooftop across the street.
00:06He chose to save his ex-girlfriend's daughter first.
00:08By the time he went for mine, it was too late.
00:11Right before she died, my daughter asked me,
00:13Mommy, isn't Daddy the best sniper in the world? Why couldn't he see me?
00:18I couldn't answer. At the funeral, I called Jason. He picked up and said,
00:22Emma, can you not do this right now? Emily and her daughter just went through something terrible.
00:26They're traumatized. This isn't the time to be jealous.
00:28Then he hung up. I sat in my wheelchair, staring at Mia's name on the headstone.
00:32Then looked down at my empty left pant leg. My leg was gone, crushed when the mall collapsed.
00:37I knew right then. This marriage was over. That Saturday.
00:39I took Mia to the new mall downtown. She wanted a doll. Said it was for her birthday.
00:43Her birthday was still three months away, but she said,
00:46Better early than sorry.
00:48She was six. She already talked like a little adult.
00:50When the gunshots started, we were on the third floor, in the toy store, picking out a doll.
00:55Not one. A lot of them. Coming from the first floor. Mixed with screams and the sound of glass
01:00breaking. My first instinct wasn't to run. I am a forensic pathologist. I've seen too many
01:04shooting victims. I know running is the most dangerous thing you can do. I grabbed Mia's
01:09wrist, pulled her behind a shelf, and crouched down. Don't make a sound. My voice was low,
01:14steady. Mia's eyes went wide. She didn't cry. She just hugged the doll to her chest and pressed her
01:18body against mine. I pulled out my phone and texted Jason. Downtown mall. Shooter. Mia and I are on the
01:23third floor in the toy store. Then another one. Where are you? He replied in under a minute.
01:27I'm on scene. Rooftop across the street. Don't move. Wait for me. I looked out the third floor
01:31window and saw it. The sniper position markers on the rooftop across the street. I felt this wave
01:36of relief. That we're safe now. Feeling. What I didn't know was that his scope was aimed right at
01:40the toy store entrance. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Emily. There were three shooters.
01:44They stormed in from the first floor, shot the security guard, and took control of them all.
01:48Dozens of hostages. Most on the first floor. Some on the second and third. SWAT showed up.
01:53Negotiators showed up. Jason was on the rooftop across the street. Best sightline in the area.
01:57His orders. If the shooters started executing people, take the shot. The shooters were on the
02:01third floor. The third floor had the toy store. And inside that toy store, there was a woman on the
02:06ground, holding a child. That woman was Emily. That child was Lily. Jason recognized them through his
02:11scope. Emily was his ex. They went to the academy together, dated for three years. She had to leave
02:16after an injury. Switched to admin. They broke up because her family didn't approve. Jason was an
02:21orphan. No connections. No future. Emily married someone else. Had Lily. Got divorced. When she
02:26moved back to the city, Jason was already married to me. But he never let her go. Not in a
02:31cheating
02:31way. It was worse than that. He felt sorry for her. Single mom. Bad health. Low salary. No family to
02:36help. So he helped. Fixed her pipes. Paid her medical bills. Picked Lily up from preschool. Every time I
02:41said, can you spend more time with Mia? Mia has you. Emily has nobody. I thought he cared about
02:47me. Later I realized he didn't help Emily out of kindness. He helped her because he was still in
02:51love with her. He'd never stopped. The shooters started clearing the floors. They split the first
02:55floor hostages into two groups. One group knelt by the entrance as human shields. The other got moved
02:59to the second floor. Women and children got pulled aside and sent up to the third. I heard footsteps
03:04getting closer. Someone was counting heads on the third floor. People were being dragged out of stores
03:08and pushed into the hallway. Toy store. Out. A shooter walked into the toy store. He saw Emily and
03:13Lily and pointed his gun at the door. Emily stood up, holding Lily, and walked out. Her legs were
03:18shaking. She moved slow. The shooter stepped further in. He saw me and Mia. You. Out. I stood up. My
03:24legs
03:24were numb from crouching. My knees buckled for a second, but I caught myself. I picked Mia up. She
03:29wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. We followed Emily and Lily into the
03:33hallway. There were already a dozen or so people out there. All women and children. I found a corner. Crouched
03:37down.
03:38And put Mia on the floor in front of me. I used my body to shield her. Emily was right
03:41next to us.
03:42She crouched down too, setting Lily beside her. Lily was crying. Small, quiet sobs, like a kitten.
03:47Emily put her hand over Lily's mouth. Tears rolled down her own face. Emily turned and saw me. Her eyes
03:52went wide. Emma? I didn't say anything. You're here too? Mia's here? I still didn't say anything. The lead
03:57shooter started calling names. He had a list. He read them one by one. The people whose names got called
04:01stepped forward and stood against the wall. He called five names. Five people stepped out. Then he stopped.
04:06He looked at Emily. You. Come here. Emily didn't move. Her whole body was shaking. I said come here.
04:10Emily stood up. She set Lily on the ground. Mommy will be right back, she whispered. Lily grabbed
04:17her sleeve. Emily pried her daughter's fingers off and walked toward the shooter. He grabbed her by
04:21the hair and yanked her to the middle of the hallway. Press the gun to her head. Tell them outside
04:26to get
04:26the car ready or I kill you first. Then I kill your daughter. Emily's eyes squeezed shut. Her lips trembled,
04:33but she didn't cry. I watched from the corner. Mia was in my arms. Her little fingers twisted in my
04:39shirt. Her nails dug into my skin. The shooter shoved Emily back. She stumbled to the corner,
04:44crouched down, and pulled Lily into her arms again. Her face was white. Her lips had no color.
04:49Mia whispered, Mommy, is Daddy here? Yes. He's on the rooftop across the street. Is he going to save us?
04:57Yes. Yes. Mia nodded. She believed me. She always did. Then the lead shooter changed his mind.
05:03Somehow he found out there was no car, that the cops had been lying to him. He lost it. He
05:07yanked the
05:08charging handle on the gun he had pressed to Emily's head. Tell them one minute! One minute,
05:12or I shoot! Emily screamed. Her daughter screamed too. I heard someone on a radio yelling.
05:18Stay calm. We're getting it ready. But the shooter wasn't listening. He started counting down.
05:2360, 50, 40. The air in the hallway got thin. Everyone stopped breathing. Mia grabbed my hand.
05:32Squeezed so tight. 30, 20. The shooter clicked off the safety. 10, 9, 8.
05:39Not from the shooter, from outside. A bullet punched through the third floor glass and hit the lead
05:43shooter in the shoulder. He went down. But the other two shooters immediately started firing back.
05:48Bullets ripped through the doorway. Hit the wall. Hit the shelves. Hit the ceiling. Dust and debris
05:55rained down. I couldn't see. Someone was screaming. Someone was running. I grabbed Mia's hand and ran
06:00for the stairwell. Her little legs couldn't keep up. I bent down to pick her up, but I was wearing
06:04heels and there was broken glass everywhere. I slipped. I fell. Mia's hand slipped out of mine.
06:09She hit the ground.
06:10Mia! Come to me!
06:12She crawled toward me on her hands and knees. Her hand stretched out. Inches away from my fingers.
06:17Then the ceiling went down. A slab of concrete fell. It landed on my left leg. The shockwave
06:22threw her against the wall. She hit hard. Then she didn't move.
06:27Mia?
06:28I screamed. She didn't move.
06:29Mia!
06:31Still nothing. I tried to crawl to her, but my left leg was pinned. I pushed at the concrete slab.
06:36It didn't budge. I clawed at the rubble with my bare hands. My nails broke. Blood seeped from
06:40my fingertips. I couldn't reach her. I just lay there on the ground. Arms stretched out.
06:45Unable to touch my daughter. She was three meters away. Eyes closed. A line of blood at
06:49the corner of her mouth.
06:51Daddy!
06:51Mia screamed. The last thing she ever said. Then she went still.
06:56Jason heard the gunfire and the explosion from the rooftop. His scope view was blocked
07:00by smoke and dust. The radio came to life.
07:03All snipers cease fire. Wait for further instructions.
07:07He lowered his gun. The first thing he asked.
07:11Did Emily and Lily get out?
07:13The spotter Tom told me later. Jason asked three times. He didn't ask about me or Mia once.
07:18When Jason came down from the rooftop, Emily was already by the ambulance.
07:21She was sitting on the curb, holding Lily. Her face was gray with dust, but she didn't
07:26have a scratch. Jason ran over.
07:28Are you okay? What about Lily?
07:30She's fine. Just scared.
07:31Jason exhaled. He got in the ambulance with them. He went to the hospital. He got Emily
07:37and Lily a VIP room. Lily wasn't even hurt. Just scared. But Emily insisted. She needed
07:42to be admitted. For observation. Jason ran around doing everything. Bought food for Lily.
07:47Poured water for Emily. Watched cartoons with Lily. He slept on the VIP room couch. He didn't
07:52know I was in the same hospital. Didn't know I was on the third floor in the ICU. Didn't
07:56know my left leg was gone. Didn't know I was covered in injuries. He didn't know Mia was
08:00in the morgue. He stayed on the fifth floor for three days. Never went down to the third.
08:04He passed it on the elevator when he went to buy food for Emily. The doors opened. The
08:08doors closed. He never stepped out. For three days, I lay on a bed on the third floor and
08:13asked the nurses the same question over and over. Where is my daughter? Every time, the
08:18nurse looked down. On the third day, a nurse finally told me the truth. I'm so sorry.
08:24Your daughter, Mia, didn't make it. I didn't say anything. My throat closed up. My lips trembled.
08:30My teeth chattered. My ears rang. The doctor kept talking but I couldn't hear him. Mia. Dead.
08:36Those two words spun in my head until I got dizzy. Where is she? The morgue. The morgue. Mia was
08:42scared
08:42of the dark. She slept with a nightlight every night. Now she was alone down there. No light. No mom.
08:48Where's my husband? He's on the fifth floor. The fifth floor. Emily's VIP room. Mia was in the morgue. He
08:54was on the fifth floor. The nurse wheeled me to the morgue. Mia lay on a stainless steel table. A
08:58white sheet
08:58covered her to the shoulders. I reached out and touched her face. Cold. Mia. Mia. I said
09:04it a lot of times. She never answered. That same day, the fire department came to the hospital
09:09looking for Jason. We need you to come identify a body. Whose? Female child. Six years old. Pulled
09:14from the rubble. No ID on her. We need someone to confirm. Jason went with them. He walked into
09:18the morgue. He didn't know yet. The morgue lights were white, bright. There was a small figure
09:22on a stainless steel table. White sheet to the shoulders. A small face. Jason walked
09:26closer. He saw that face. Purple. Swollen. Dried blood at the corner of her mouth. He knew
09:31that face. That was Mia's face. His daughter's face. His legs gave out. He hit the floor.
09:37He opened his mouth. No sound came out. Then he started shaking. His fingers first. Then
09:42his whole body. He finally said. No. No. No. No. He crawled to her. Grabbed her hand. Cold. He pressed
09:51her hand to his face. Her fingers were still curled. Like she'd been holding something. The
09:56blonde doll. When they pulled her out of the rubble. She was still holding it. Jason started
10:01crying. Not tears. Wailing. The kind of sound that doesn't sound human. Like an animal that has been
10:06hit by a car. He laid his body over Mia's and cried until he gagged. Daddy was wrong. Daddy's
10:12sorry. Please look at Daddy. Mia didn't look up there. She never would again. He cried
10:19for a long time. Two people had to pull him off the floor. His face was covered in tears
10:23and snot. He crouched in the hallway outside the morgue. Held his head in his hands. Then
10:29he remembered me. Jason ran to the third floor. I was already back from the morgue. He stood
10:34outside my room. Didn't come in. He walked in. Dropped to his knees. Beside my bed.
10:40Emma. Emma. Mia. Do you know what her last word was? He froze. She said Daddy. She thought
10:45you were coming to save her. She was reaching for me from under the rubble. She couldn't
10:49reach me. So she called for you. She called a lot of times. Where were you? You were on
10:54the fifth floor. Buying food for someone else's daughter. Sleeping on a VIP couch. Watching cartoons
10:59with Lily. I didn't know. I didn't know she was in the morgue. I didn't know you were in
11:03this hospital. I thought. You thought I was being dramatic. You thought I was making problems
11:08again. You didn't make one phone call. Jason dropped his head. His shoulders shook. He
11:12cried ugly. Snot and tears everywhere. His whole body collapsed against my bed. I'm sorry.
11:16I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. He said it a lot of times. I didn't look at him. My brother
11:21Ethan flew in from Chicago the next day. He walked into my room. Looked at my missing leg.
11:27Looked at Jason kneeling by my bed refusing to leave. And his jaw went tight.
11:30Out. Jason didn't move. I said out. Jason stood up and walked out. He stood in the
11:37hallway. Didn't leave. Ethan closed the door. Saturday on my bed. Took my hand.
11:45Emma. I'm getting you a lawyer. I'm handling Mia's arrangements. Don't worry about anything
11:50except getting better. What about Jason? Divorce. He already knew. I was in the hospital for
11:5710 days. Jason came every day. He stood in the hallway. Too scared to come in. Ethan
12:01wouldn't let him. So he just stood there for hours. Are you family? I'm her husband. She
12:06doesn't want to see you. I know. I'll just stand here. On the fourth day, Ethan stepped
12:10out. Jason came in. He was carrying a thermos. I made you chicken noodle soup. Used to like
12:17my soup. Emma. I know nothing I say matters. Mia's not coming back. Your leg's not coming
12:21back. But I stopped paying for Emily's rent. I stopped answering her calls. I deleted her.
12:26I quit the SWAT team. Your scope was on the toy store. You saw Emily and Lily. And you
12:32saw me and Mia. And you chose to save them first. I... You chose her. You've always chosen
12:39her. Jason dropped his head. He didn't say anything. He didn't deny it. I had Ethan draft
12:44the divorce papers. I kept the house. The car. Every dollar Jason had sent Emily during
12:49the marriage. I wanted it back. I signed. When Jason saw the papers, he went completely
12:55still. Emma. I'm not signing. Then I'll sue. Sue all you want. I'm not divorcing you.
13:02Why? You never loved me. You married me because I was convenient. But your heart... Your heart
13:08was always with Emily. That day, in your scope, you saw her. Your first thought wasn't about
13:14saving people. It was that she couldn't die. So you saved her first. Jason dropped to his
13:20knees. He grabbed my hand. Emma. I know I messed up. The biggest mistake of my life was making
13:27that choice. I'm not asking you to forgive me. But don't push me away. Let me try to make
13:33this right. I don't need you to take care of me. I need you to sign. He didn't sign.
13:40The funeral was 14 days after the hostage crisis. Jason showed up in a black suit, dark circles
13:46under his eyes. Can I come? You're her father. At the cemetery, Jason knelt in front of Mia's
13:52headstone. He didn't get up. The service happened. He stayed on his knees. People placed flowers.
13:57He stayed on his knees. Everyone left. He stayed on his knees. He knelt for a long time. When the
14:02sky
14:03started to get dark, he stood up and walked over to me. Emma. I know you won't forgive
14:09me. I don't deserve it. But I'll wait. One year. Ten years. Forever.
14:18That day will never come. Then I'll wait forever. Jason started writing me letters every day.
14:26Not texts. Handwritten letters. He left them in my mailbox. Every morning, there was one.
14:30Emma. I went to see Mia today. I brought pink roses. She liked pink. I never knew that before.
14:37Now I know. Too late. Emma. I walked past the mall today. It's open again. I stood outside for a
14:44long time. I couldn't go in. I'm too scared. Emma. I went to AA. I can't sleep at night. I
14:52can only
14:52close my eyes if I drink. I'm working on it. Emma. I blocked Emily. She kept calling from different
14:59numbers. I didn't answer a single one. I should have done this a long time ago.
15:03I put every letter in a box. I never wrote back. Not once. Six months passed. I got better with
15:09my
15:09prosthetic. Every week, I went to Rose Hill Cemetery. I brought pink roses. Jason went every week, too.
15:15We never showed up at the same time. He told me later he did that on purpose. One day, I
15:20went early.
15:20I saw his car parked outside. I didn't go in. I sat in my car and waited for him to
15:25leave.
15:25When he came out, I saw him. He'd lost a lot of weight. He looked old. He walked with a
15:29limp.
15:30I felt bad for him in that moment. But feeling bad isn't the same as forgiveness. I waited until
15:35he left. Then I went in. There were flowers on Mia's grave. Pink ones. And a doll. New. Blonde hair.
15:41Pink dress. Mia always loved blonde dolls. Another year passed. My brother Ethan introduced me to
15:47someone. His name was Daniel. He owned a coffee shop. Didn't talk much. Could cook. He knew about
15:52everything. Ethan had told him. He didn't ask questions. Didn't give advice. Didn't judge.
15:57When I woke up from nightmares, he shook me awake and handed me a glass of water and said,
16:02You're okay. I'm here. One day, he asked,
16:05Do you want to go see Mia? I stared at him. He said,
16:08I'd like to meet her, if that's okay.
16:12I took him to Rose Hill Cemetery. There were already pink roses on Mia's grave.
16:16I knew who left them. Daniel didn't ask. He put his flowers next to hers, crouched down, said,
16:21Hey Mia. I'm Daniel. Your mom talks about you all the time. She says you loved blonde dolls.
16:29I'll bring you one next time.
16:31Not because I was sad. Because Mia once said,
16:34Mommy, when you look at the left lens, when I grow up, I want to find someone like Daddy,
16:40but better than Daddy.
16:43Daniel wasn't Jason. He was better. So much better.
16:47That night, I wrote Jason a letter. My first one back. I told him I was getting married.
16:52That Daniel was good. That he didn't have to keep visiting Mia's grave anymore.
16:56I never sent it. I put it in the box with the other letters.
16:59Then I picked up my phone and texted Daniel, I want a latte tomorrow.
17:03He replied in one second. What time?
17:05The wedding was in the spring. At Rose Hill Cemetery.
17:08On Mia's grave, there were pink roses and a little blonde doll. Daniel crouched down,
17:13straightened the doll, and said,
17:14Mia, your mom looks beautiful today. I'll take good care of her.
17:18I stood behind him in my wedding dress. My prosthetic was hidden under the skirt.
17:22The wind blew. Petals fell on Mia's headstone. We turned and walked down the hill.
17:26There was a car parked outside the cemetery gates, black old. A man stood next to it. Jason,
17:31so thin, half his hair white. He held out a box. Inside were Mia's drawings and two strawberry hair ties.
17:37Is he good to you? Jason asked. Yes, he's good. Good.
17:46He turned and walked away. I put my hand on my stomach. Three months. A girl. I wanted to name
17:52her Mia. Not to replace her. To remember her.
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