Just Before Dawn

Chapter 25

I took a deep breath in, but it got stuck in my chest. Will I actually meet my mother? Will she remember me? Questions and question bubble up within me, making me more nervous to enter than I was originally. A warm hand gently touched my shoulder.

"We're running out of time, Kaeya." Zerek whispered softly. I frowned, but moved forward and opened the door. It was surprisingly unlocked. I look back at Zerek and he nodded. Slowly opening the door wider, we stepped through the threshold. The house was pleasantly empty, which was strange considering the fact that someone might be tied up and starved.

The place has all the furniture placed neatly, and apparently, gets cleaned every day. No dust to be seen. It's one layer, and so tiny, its possible to see the other end of the house from the door. The floors are wooden and the two bedrooms are carpeted. The tiny kitchen consisted of a tiled splashback with a gas stovetop and small fridge in the corner.

I opened the fridge and saw nothing was filled inside.

"She's not here, did you get the house right?" Zerek asked, starting to get impatient.

"I definitely picked the right house, I know–" I looked down. "There! The blue and yellow carpet! I saw it in my vision!" I run towards it and threw it away. There, an outline of a perfect square cut out on the wooden tiles.

"OMG! We found it! I-I might see my mom!" I chocked as I felt my eyes fill to the brim with my tears.

"Yes, yes, let's hurry now!" Zerek looked around frantically.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself." I touched his arm, trying to calm him. He shook his head.

"Sorry, I just have a gut feeling that something bad is going to happen." He looked at the hatch, and walked towards it. Crouching down, he pushed against the wooden plank. It swung down. I gasped and peered inside. It was dark.

Pitch black.

No stairs or ladders to be seen.

"There's a ladder here," Zerek pointed, and started climbing down. I strained my eyes and finally saw an outline of the ladder. Taking a deep breath, I followed him.

The walls were rocky and moist, making the area cooler than upstairs. There were no lights, or torches. I held onto Zerek's hand, and we walked deeper into the passage. The road became narrower and narrower, shorter and shorter, until we were crawling behind one another. We've been walking for so long; I'm starting to think that this is the wrong place. Suddenly the space gets wider and taller, making it easier for us to move again. I sighed, relieved for the large space.

A clanking of metal.

I looked up, and there she was. Right across from me. Her maroon coloured hair, straight but messy, shifted as she lifted her head. Her dim blue eyes, which looked the same and not from the wedding picture stared at me.

My mother was alive.

And chained.

Her skeletal body stretched, as her arms were chained above her head. Her hallowed legs chained so low on the ground she had to bend her knees. But the chains on her arms weren't long enough, so she was straining on mid-air. Blood dripped to the floor, while more were dried around her face.

"Mom?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Kaeya? Is that you?" She croaked. Tears built up in my throat, choking me, holding me down. Dropping my bag, I ran towards her hugged her, blood and all. She buried her face in between my neck and shoulder, but she turned stiff. Her head shot up and suddenly Zerek was up against the wall.