Blood, there was blood everywhere.
Fresh blood.
Warm.
Bright pink.
"Mom…" The girl mumbled, feet trembling- eyes shimmering, back against the wall.
Her mother lay beneath her feet, a gaping hole in her chest.
Things happened fast- too fast.
One moment her mother was barging in the room with the knife, and in the next, she trying to thrust the knife at the girl- at Rin.
Perhaps it was fate- perhaps her mother had finally come to her senses at the very last second and stopped. But stopping that rapidly had its consequences, as her crushed leg sprained and she fell on the ground- the knife went in her chest by mistake.
Or perhaps-
Rin's breathing increased exponentially and she could hear her heartbeat- smell the iron in the air; the smell of blood.
What went wrong?
Why did it come to this?
Rin's mother breathed audibly. Barely able to maintain her conscience. "Run Rin…" She managed. "Take the ship… run before-" She went unconscious.
'What now?' Rin was staggered.
This woman tried to kill her.
But she was her mother.
And she was dying.
She had to save her, right?
Right?
'Right!' She ran out of the room, to the kitchen where a nano kit was; heart raced. There were so many options- so many things she could have believed but- in the end, she chose-
Her mother was still alive.
And the wound wasn't that deep, it was just an accident anyway.
Yes, it was an accident.
It was definitely an accident- or so she consoled herself.
Her mother never wanted to kill her.
And she wanted to believe that wholeheartedly.
After all, her mother was kind and loving. She'd always been there for Rin. She was always there, through thick and thin. Always supporting her- giving her the best of care.
And yet-
And yet.
Just as she was coming back to the room with the kit- her eyes again opened wide.
Her heart raced even faster.
After all, her mother was on her feet, blood still dripping. And she was out of the room, in the hallway.
A smile; a very kind smile.
"Mom?" Rin took a step back; hands shivering.
Her mother took a step forward. "Yes… Rin?" The voice was familiar- the kind voice of her mother.
But Rin could tell- her mother just wasn't there.
This woman had vacant eyes- almost like she was dead inside.
Her mother- just wasn't there.
Not anymore.
'Damn!' Clutching the kit tight, she dashed out of the hallway, up the stairs, and headed straight for the secret room.
She'd only been there twice.
Once with her father- just the night before she saw him off for the last time, and the second time, when her mother went to space alone just the day after.
The secret room where there still should have been a small ship.
She ran fast- and stumbled nearly four times.
Her mother, however, just walked slowly while dragging her feet. This house- the very same house they built together, designed together, and lived together… tainted by blood….
She left a trail of blood but her smile was just as kind and her knife was just as sharp.
And eyes, just as bulging, just as blank.
***
Rin made it to the hatch on the second floor, and he pulled on a lever- a rather old mechanism.
The hatch opened and she went in.
The lights were automatic.
Not much was here.
A small spacecraft- some rations and tools.
"Initiate!"
The glass doors opened, swiftly moving up.
A rather small craft, there were only two seats and not much space left for anything other than emergency rations.
She immediately got into the craft, secured herself, and, "Close gates and start the engine."
She didn't know how to drive a spacecraft and there was no need to learn. After all, everything was already automatic.
Her breathing was still fast and her senses were on overdrive.
But so far- her mother wasn't here.
The engines rumbled and the roof started parting.
Things were going well- too well.
She doubled checked the ship- what if her mother was in here?
She wasn't.
Rin sighed in relief and, "Liftoff; just get off this planet for now!"
All her commands were going through a central controlling device.
Her voice was registered to the ship.
And her commands were accepted.
The ship started hovering, gradually going up.
'Sorry, mom… and bye…'
Her eyes streamed.
She always wanted to leave. But not like this.
Just what happened to her mother?
In wasn't like this before.
Tick…
Ever since that day her father left- her mother's condition only worsened more and more.
The first day, it only lasted for five minutes, and then nothing happened for a week.
Then ten, then twenty…
But now she had something else to worry about.
Tick…
She had to go find help and come back- she had to save her mother. After all, it was her mother she was leaving behind….
She was already halfway up and- 'Am I really doing the right thing?'
If she'd waited, her mother would have eventually come back to normal.
Tick…
And- 'What's that sound?'
She kept hearing this tick-tick sound behind her.
A feeling…
A dreadful feeling took over her.
She leaked in buckets- just how much water did she have in her body?
She didn't want to turn around.
She just didn't.
But.
Her head turned slowly, almost like a badly oiled bearing.
Nothing.
There was nothing there.
Exhale.
Relief.
With a hand on her chest, she turned around.
"EEKKK!" She let out a shriek, almost falling from her seat.
There was something outside.
Just outside the glass doors.
It was night, and dark. Too hard to see exactly what.
But the girl- but Rin knew- "Mom…"
With the ship's extra light, she could see her mother. The woman's skin had turned purple and her veins were bulging. She'd grown two extra sets of appendages- they were moving like tentacles, holding onto the ship.
The shadow on the outside- her mother, smiled and gently pressed the knife against the glass door.
Tick!
"Open doo-" And she knew exactly how to get in.
Rin took a deep breath.
There was something inside the ship- something she'd carried from the house. A nano kit.
Granted, it was small but it had weight.
"Throw her off the ship!" Rin wanted to say. And if that didn't work- she was going to throw everything at her.
Yes, the woman was her mother.
Yes, she loved her.
But at the end of the day, she had to save her life first.
After all, living things were selfish.
She had to save herself- even if it meant ridding the life of her birth giver. Yet, she couldn't stop the tears. She couldn't say it. She just couldn't.
After all- it was her mother. How could she ever throw her out? How?
Why? 'Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad… if it's her…'
But just then- the woman on the other side smiled. Her eyes shimmered- almost like she was back to normal. "Take care-" Her mouth moved but the words didn't come in; she let go.
Maybe she wasn't here to attack her daughter but, rather, see her off?
"MOM!"
Rin ran for the door but- it didn't open.
They were already at the edge of space- it was impossible for the doors to open now.
"Mom…" Her eyes leaked, as she gradually fell on the ground, sniffing and crying. 'I'm so sorry…'
The ship drifted in space. The lonely space- surrounded by distant stars.
She just stayed there- looking through the glass, 'Mom…'
Alone.