“No.” I stood up, smashing my knee against the table, but I ignored the pain. “I’m not moving. This is my home. This is where I live.”
Dad stared at me with the worst look yet. Not anger. Not hatred. It was something else. Like pity or sadness. Acceptance. Defeat. I had never seen him beaten. He was never beaten. Never! But now he stared at me like he was. Why? “Phillip. You need- “
As I walked, I felt something building in my chest, like there was a water balloon being filled inside my lungs, keeping me from breathing deep. My teeth were chattering, but I didn’t feel any cold. My head continued to wander in the fog as I wandered in the darkness, my chest growing tighter with each step. I wanted to stop, but I found myself continuing to walk despite my best efforts. I couldn’t stop myself as my legs marched me forward into a now-crimson abyss. I saw my breath in the air, as if I were in the Arctic. Icicles dangled from the sudden ceiling, looking more like spears of war than works of nature. My breath was becoming even more rapid as my body was forced forward into the hellish cave. That’s when I heard her.
“No! I’m not going.”
“Phillip. Phillip? Where are you?” Her angelic voice beckoned me forward, causing me to go into an all-out sprint. I knew it couldn’t be her. There was no way it was her, but my body refused to listen to me.
“Phillip. Please.” I couldn’t look at him anymore. I couldn’t. He was supposed to be big and strong. He was supposed to never fall. He was supposed to beat this.
“Phillip? We need to go pick up your father. Phillip?”
I ran. I didn’t even think where, but somehow, I knew where I’d end up. The darkness surrounded me, so much so that I couldn’t see in front myself. My mind was foggy, like there was something keeping me from thinking. But I wasn’t afraid of the dark, so I did what my father told me when things got bad: keep calm, and carry on. A saying made by the British during WWII, it helped me get whatever task I needed done for school, or life in general. 20
Her voice grew louder with each stride, and soon, I saw her outline in the red cave, the light reflections giving off a sinister color. I tried to scream, but my mouth remained shut. Tears streamed down my face, and I saw her standing there. She was standing at her car, smiling, but darkness covered her eyes. “There you are! Now, let’s get to the clinic.” I heard the engine before I saw it. My mother turned her head, and I saw her open her mouth. I screamed, just as the car sandwiched her to her own. The last
