Challenged By: Team Fiction Fusion (@Thatgurlaturdoor and luvelleszzz)

Prompt: "10 cm of snow had fallen overnight, just as the weatherman predicted. The only thing is... the snow isn't white." (Prompt 5 - Fantasy & Paranormal)

Bloody Snow with a Sprinkle of Revenge

What is going on?

Those are the words everyone is saying. On the news, in my house, every single person in Bridgeport is asking that question.

It snowed. Not weird at all, right? The average snowfall is 10 inches, according to Google.

The snow is red.

Blood red. B-l-o-o-d-y snow.

"Kiera, go help your brother shovel some snow outside, and I understand if you feel sick but—"

"Everyone has to do their part, not just James. I know, Dad."

I shouldn't feel bitter, I mean, Mom is dead. Dad's doing the best he can.

But I hate- no, despise him and my brother. I'm basically a maid.

Nonetheless, I swallow the nausea, and put on some warm clothes.

"James? Where are you?" I call, keeping a sharp eye out for actual bodies, who could be the cause of staining the snow.

———

What if I was more careful?

———

"In the shed, Kee!"

———

What if I had bolted?

———

I walked across the yard quickly, hearing the squelching of the snow beneath my shoes. The urge to throw up surfaces again, but I gulp it down.

I hate blood.

I hate the colour red.

Because of how my mother died. Not in a car-crash, or from a sickness, or even because of some sort of accident. From enemies. That's why I hate her. Because she made deadly enemies, and then had kids. Kids who depend on her, and need her. But she left us. Because of those enemies.

I hate red because my mom died in a torture room. She turned to a bloody mess. And I was there to watch. And so was my brother. And my dad. Those psychopaths left her in front of our house, just to let us watch her take her last breaths.

After that, the only thing keeping my dad from leaving me to die, is chores. Otherwise I would have been left on the streets. And my brother does absolutely nothing to help me. He's moving away for studies next year, so he doesn't care anyway.

But I'm only fifteen. I'm still a kid, can't a kid get support from her brother?

I make it to the shed, caught in my dark thoughts. I walk in, and find it empty. "James?"

No response.

———

What if I had left?

———

"James?" I try again. Nothing. "James, I swear if you're playing some stupid joke I'm go-"

———

What if I just stopped trying to find him?

———

And it all goes black.

...

I find myself in the back of a caravan.

My mouth is duck-taped, and my hands are tied. I look around, and all I see is black. There's literally nothing that's visible.

The caravan stops abruptly. Light floods into the space, and I see a small building in the distance. A man wearing a black mask, and cap ops into view. I freeze. His shirt...

It's fully black except for a white axe with a circle around it on the front. That's the sign...

———

Why if I ran right then?

———

And the building in the distance has the same one...

———

Why if I didn't linger?

———

The man pulls me out of the caravan, and pushes me towards a black jeep with tinted windows. He opens the door and pushes me in.

The driver is a woman dressed in the same manner. She drives me up to the mysterious building, and yet another person leads me through the building. As soon as we enter, the person pulls the duct tape off my mouth.

And I cough. I cough, and cough, until I become so weak, that I can barely walk. On my last and final cough, blood spurts from my mouth. I stare at the blood on the floor in horror.

The person pushes me, and we start heading down the hall. The floors seem like a ramp, heading more and more downwards.

There's only one word I can use to describe the halls; gray.

Gray walls, gray ceilings, gray floors, gray objects, gray everything. It's like someone flooded this place with gray paint! While, what I assume are the janitors, were inside. They were also dressed in full, you guessed it, gray! At least the blood from my mouth added a little colour to the place.

After what seems like five hours, we finally arrive at a gray door. The person opens it and pushes me inside.

———

Why didn't I bolt when I had the chance?

Why didn't I run as far away from everything as I could?

Now, I'm soon to meet the same fate as my mother. A lifeless heap, covered in blood. Driven to that fate by the same people. Yes. The people who brought me here, with the axe logo t-shirts, they're my mother's enemies. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because of what you did, all those years ago," A person responds.

"What? Because I deactivated the bomb you planted in my house? Oh yeah, sorry for keeping my family alive!" I reply. After that sentence I erupted into another fit, coughing up more blood than last time?

You see, after my mom died, they set a bomb in our house, which I found while cleaning the basement. I saw their logo on it, and immediately deactivated it.

"See that?" Another person points at the blood on the floor. "That's revenge. The red snow? That was us. It's not real snow, it's fake snow, that causes coughing like that, and immense pain. The red colour was blood of course, but we only did it to scare the public, and make you an easier target. We know your weaknesses."

"All that, just to get me? I feel special," I say bitterly. They laugh. "But what I don't understand, is how you got me."

Their laughter dies down. "Ah, that. Yeah, we paid that family of yours in billions. Actually, getting you was easier than expected. Some daddy that is."

I should have known. My dad's only goal in life is money. He'll do anything for money. So, of course he would give me up. Easily, in fact. And I laugh. I laugh so hard that I start hacking again.

Call me a psycho. I dare you. Someone, laughing while being tortured, what else would come to mind?

But this situation is just so... funny. The irony is killing me. A father gives up his own daughter just for money? And some bad guys come back years later and virtually poison the whole town to get a little girl they want revenge on? It's too much.

But, I don't want to die like my mother. Learn from the past, and plan for the future is what they say, right? So I have a plan. A plan that will free me. A plan for the masterminds.

Cut and run. That's my genius plan. Cut the ropes that hold me, and run as fast as I can. Sounds like a plan to me.

...

So, it's been a hot second. Over these few days, I've been cutting my rope. Tonight is gonna be the night. I know it.

As soon as my dear friends Emily, Char, Mill, and Avissy leave, I continue cutting. The rope on my first hand was cut by my teeth. The only thing I need to do now is finish cutting the other one.

Just a few more cuts and I'm free. And... done. Everything hurts. From the whip marks on my face, to the scars on my back, to the cuts on my legs, the pain is unbearable.

I try taking a step, and searing pain shoots up my leg. I'll have to deal with it. Okay, I don't have much time before they come back, so I have to be quick.

I stack up the weapons to form a sort-of ladder. I climb up, urging myself to fight the agony. I break the glass window and hop through. I knew it was gonna be high, and it would hurt to jump, but I can't be in any more pain than I'm in right now.

An alarm sounds as soon as I break the glass. And now for the second part of my plan, run. And, oh, do I run. I sprint for my life. It hurts so much, but the mere thought of torture is enough to make me run faster and more than I ever have. My only goal is to put as many kilometers as possible between that hell hole and I.

In the beginning of my recreational jog, the not-so-friendly people of the group called "Children of Reaper" chased me, but my fury drove my legs so much that they couldn't catch up. If I were in a marathon right now, I would be winning easily. Now I know the secret to winning a marathon; have bloodthirsty psychopaths right on your tail.

Turning away from the subject of running tips, at the moment I'm in some sort of forest. I don't know what to do now. I have no nurse, doctor, first-aid kit, or even human here. Well, at least I've achieved my goal; escape the psychos. I didn't want to die in a place like that. I mean, who does? Nevertheless, I know I'm going to die soon. But I don't think I want to die in a forest full of wild animals, and venomous plants. I want to die somewhere peaceful, somewhere light, and happy. Somewhere I can be content, at peace, free.

So I push myself to run a little longer, and eventually make it to a meadow. I've always wanted to die in a meadow. Weird wishes, but still wishes. And after that, I scream. I scream until I almost lose my voice. That scream took out all my worries, stresses, frustrations, I just exposed my feelings. And all the negativity pours out, until there's nothing left.

None of this would have happened if it weren't for that bloody snow. Every nap I took during a break while running, had that god-awful snow in it. After all, I know that type of snow. I know that the Children of Reaper store it in their basement. I know that if you are exposed to it too much, you start dying. I know that the Children of Reaper probably put the cure in the town's water supply. How? Because my, ahem, dad told me not to drink water today because of pipe work, even though I saw James drinking it.

You know, before all of this happened, I was scared of death. I thought it was horrible, and downright terrifying. But now, being on the brink of death, I've come to realize that it's not so bad. After I die, I won't have to experience the pain and sorrows of life. Sure, I won't experience the happy moments, but I've had so little of them, that it doesn't make a big difference.

Death is blankness. No feelings. No depression. No pain. No messed up family. No chores. None of anything is better than some of a bad thing.

I grin, and take in the scene around me. The daisies sprouting again after the harsh winter, reminds me of how even after something terrible, and drastic, you can always rise up again, blooming brightly and extinguishing the darkness.

The untamed grass shows me freedom, and running wild everywhere, growing tall, and taking your place in this world.

The hills in the distance stand tall and mighty, so clear to everyone around. The smell of wet dirt tells me how the sun will always shine after the rain, and that hardships make you stronger, and better.

And the clear sky brings me peace. Peace of heart. Peace of mind. Just peace. And I'm happy. The happiest I've ever been. I'm content. I'm... okay.

And then, the best thing that could ever happen to me, happens.

I die. I die thinking about beautiful meadow, and bloody snow.

But I die, with flowers in my hair, and a smile on my face.

Word Count: 1928 words