"How is your day at Nate's house?" My Mom asks me, while Dad is on her side.

"It's nice, Mom." I answer and I'm lying on my bed. Mom and Dad are here with me inside my room, tucking me to sleep.

"That's good, child." Dad says and I smile at him. Dad knows already that Mom's carrying a child, and he is so happy, of course.

They just came home just this day, 8 AM in the morning. I slept at Twain's manor, because Mom and Dad stayed all-night on our vacation house. Then Mom, as well as Dad, visited the Twains the whole day. And we went home this evening.

"We'll leave you now, Skhy." Mom announces and I nod. She bends down and kisses me good night. Dad is next and kisses me on cheeks.

"Good night, Mom and Dad. I love you both." I smile and they turn off the lights.

"Sleep tight, my daughter." They utter and leave my room.

I inhale then exhale, I close my eyes and later than evening, I fall asleep.

Ξ ✿ Ξ

I slowly rub my eyes and face right. It is kinda noisy outside, and that causes me to half-asleep.

I pull my blanket up to my chin and decide to ignore the noises. Maybe, a cat is just running around.

Wait, we do not have a cat!

I open my eyes wide awake when a loud shattering of glass echoes audibly. What's that noise? Right in the middle of night?

Without hesitation, I get off of my bed. What's happening? Mom and Dad should sleeping at this time.

Before I reach the door, someone opens it for me. I thought it is Mom. But change it, a stranger comes inside of my room. Even it is dark, I can clearly see the built of the man behind the silhouette. He is holding a blade, reflecting its shine inside my room.

"D-Dad? I-Is that you?" I stammer as I step back. My heart is pounding so hard.

I am afraid.

I am scared.

The man laughs. His laugh are creepy. He is not Dad. His voice is not alike to Dad's.

I cannot speak. But I need to shout for help. I have to call Mom. He walks near me. My tears start to flow from my eyes.

Save me . . . Just anyone, please . . .

He raises his sword and he is ready to kill me. I need to run. But my feet are glued on the floor.

My chest starts to skip. I'm catching my breaths.

But before he can slash me, I hear a loud bang. At the moment I hear it, the man's head is shot with a bullet. His blood gushes and sprinkles all over my face.

My body shivers and I'm still not moving. He dies . . . in front of me.

"Shanaiah! Shanaiah!" I hear my Mom's calling. She quickly comes inside with a gun on her right hand. She hurriedly grabs me and carries me.

I'm still shocked on what is happening. Oh, maybe this is just a dream. Yes, a dream. Later on, I will open my eyes and then realize that everything is just part of my imagination while asleep.

"Are you all right, Skhy? You're not hurt?" Mom asks while running fast.

"Yes, Mom." I reply and wipe the blood that sticks my face. "Where's Dad?"

"He's there, Skhy. And thank goodness, you're so calm." She says. She continues running until we reach the staircase. I should be calm. This is just a dream.

But then, Mom throws me away as I squirm in fright. I land on the floor as I gaze to Mom. As if on cue, my eyes widen again.

Mom is fighting another three men. She is so fast. The three attack all together, and with ease, Mom finishes them all and she even wastes three of her bullets to them.

"Hurry, Skhy!" Mom takes my hand and drags me.

While running, I see Dad. The same as with Mom, he's also fighting a huge crowd. Dad has his sword, just like the man in my room.

"We're running out of time." I hear Mom says and my attention focuses on her, and I step on Mom's dress.

We both fall on the floor and howl in pain. "Mom! I'm sorry!"

"Never mind that." She remarks and hastily stands up with me. We start running again until we reach the downstairs.

Dad comes and he is breathing so hard.

"Dad! You're bloody!" I scream in horrified tone. Is he scathed? We need to call the police. Or . . . Or an ambulance!

Despite the blood he receives, Dad chuckles. "No, child. It is not my blood." He replies and goes near us. "Come on, we need to hurry." Dad says and we run again.

We are almost near the front door, when I look back. Lots of men are behind with their swords and guns. I yell so loud when someone's pointing a gun towards our direction.

Dad immediately steps in front, guarding us. They are so many, how will Dad fight them? He may be killed.

No . . . This is only a dream. Yes, a dream.

I see Dad slaying all the men. But he is alone. And he is just holding a sword and they have guns.

My eyes automatically gazes at the man aiming for Dad at the second floor.

"Dad!!" I shout to warn him.

But it is too late. The man pulls the trigger. And Dad is shot in his shoulder. Dad falls on his one knee. I notice Mom, she marks the man on the second floor and aims for his head. Instantly, he dies.
Mom starts to shower bullets to the men with her both hands. Mom's gun runs out of bullets, but she kills most of the men. Dad stands up, even if he's badly wounded. He assaults all the remaining men by himself. His shoulders is bleeding nonstop, but why is he still fighting?

"Dad!" I call. He shall stop. This is just a dream. No need to fight this really hard.

"Shanaiah, come on!" Mom hastily grips my hand and hauls me again.

"Mom! No! Don't leave Dad!!" I screech, but she just ignores me. I look back again, only four men standing, including Dad.

I almost sigh in relief. Dad can manage them. But something opposite has happen. One of the men pick his gun and shot Dad on the stomach!

"Daddy!!" I yell as I cry and that causes Mom to turn around.

Why it feels so real? Why it hurts so much? Why don't I wake up? I can't stand watching this. I want everyone to stop.

This is not a dream. It is a nightmare.

"Garrick!" My Mom calls out. And once again, Dad raises up again and picks his sword. The man shots him again! But Dad doesn't care. He runs towards the man and slays him.

The other two attacks Dad with their blades and slashes him.

"Stop!! Don't hurt him!!" I shout and they doesn't listen. Dad falls along with his blood spilling on the floor.

Mom lets go of hand and starts to run towards Dad.

"Mom!! No!!" I call, trying to reach her.

She continues running and picks the sword as she goes where Dad seems. Mom helps Dad and in one glimpse, the men dies.

I automatically let out a breath of relief as I run to them. "Mom!! Dad!!" I cry and tears are blurring my eyes.

Mom bends down where Dad's lying and join her when I reach them.

"I-I'm glad y-you're safe, S-Skhy." Dad says breathlessly. He is full of blood.

"D-Dad, you're not fine." I stifle while ruffling his shirt.

He chuckles to his throat, "I-I'm immortal, child." and whispers, closing his eyes.

"Garrick, please hold on." My Mom wails while wiping his blood on his mouth.

"E-Eve . . ." Dad calls Mom weakly. "Take care of Skhy and the baby."

"No . . . We are going to take care them. Both of them."

"I'm sorry, love." My Dad answers, lifting his bloody hand to her cheeks. "Sorry . . . I wasn't able to let you escape through this world."

"Garrick, p-please . . . not yet." Mom shakes her head while crying.

"G-Go now, Eve . . . Take Skhy to a safe place."

"No, no, Garrick, no, hun . . ." My pleads holding Dad's hand tightly.

Dad starts to cough blood and almost losing his breaths. "I love you . . . m-my wife, we'll see each other again." That is the last words of Dad, before closing his eyes and go to sleep.

No, no. Those words. Those are not his last words. He will say those again, when I wake in this nightmare.

I stare at Mom, she is crying and lamenting while hugging Dad's cold body. She shouldn't be crying. This is just a bad dream.

But the pain, agony, and misery feels so real. I want to cry also. It's hard to see my father dies inside of this dream.

I want to wake up. Please, wake me up. I can no longer handle the pain. It kills more than the half of me.

Mom stops crying as she stands up, "Come, Skhy." She invites and holds my hand, "We need to get out of here, okay?" She says silently, but her eyes are sad.

I only nod to her and stand beside her. I wish, I'm going to wake in this stupid dream.

We are about to run, when a gunshot blows. It echoes loudly inside of this empty, dark house.

My heart beats loudly as I witness Mom receives the bullet in the middle of her chests. The blood flows fastly, enough to make Mom loses the half of her life.

No . . . Not Mom.

Mom falls on her knees and starts to get weak.

In the middle of my distress, a man enters inside of our house and his evil laughs resounds in this four-cornered house.

"Y-You . . ." Mom says through her shaky voice.

"Yes, it's me!" The unknown man says victoriously. "Eve Wallace with your dead husband," he speaks in a mocking tone, "really did a great job. Did not? Huh?"

He walks further with his hand gun. "You killed all my men with just you two! It was lonely, they left me standing here. Either way, that was fun! A great, memorable catastrophe have just happened! Death has risen in this place and it will bring nothing but a curse of horror!"

He laughs again with an evil voice, "I'm sure that the true Grim Reaper pays his visit here to claim the souls of the people who tries to imitate him! Pathetically despairing!"

His laughters are diabolic and makes my skin crawls. He is frightening.

"Oh, I speak a lot, didn't I, Eve Wallace?" He questions with his smug look. "Well, then, I'll finish my job here."

He points his gun to Mom.

"No!!" Absentmindedly, I go in front of Mom.

"Oho, how cute you are, little devil." The man cooes. "Protecting her Momma from the villain like in the movie." He smiles sarcastically. But it immediately vanishes and exchanges the smile with a serious face, "Go die along your mother." And then he presses the trigger.

I can see the bullet travelling very fast to my direction. I thought, I will be dead in just a second. But Mom covers herself to me and catches the bullet.

Wake me up.

The man continuously raining bullets on us, and Mom is just there, sacrifices herself to me.

Save me. Save us. Mom is dying. She falls along with me on the flat, cold, and bloody floor.

"Skhy . . . my dear daughter." She calls as the sinister sound of gunshot stops. Mom is full of blood.

T-The baby . . . m-my . . . sibling is inside of Mom's tummy. The tears in my eyes are spilling nonstop.

"M-Mom . . ." I cry, calling her. "This is only a dream, right? When, when . . ." I tremble so hard, "When I-I wake up . . . Everything is fine, right? Right, Mom?"

She smiles with her tears, "I'm sorry . . . ch-child. I can't bring you a better dream . . . And I hope, I can wake you in this living nightmare. I still thank the Creator, because I have lived a beautiful life with you, my fam . . . ily."

"Mom, you're still gonna live more."

"I'm afraid I won't. Maybe, b-because . . . th-this is our punishment." She says. "You have to live long, Skhy. Even if you have to kill to live, just because you carry the blood of Wallace as killers, do it. I'm sorry, child, for giving you our burden and despairs."

Slowly, she's becoming weak. I can't utter any words. It is is hard, as much as I wanted to speak, it is like my lips are sewn by threads.

"Don't die, Skhy. Always seek for hope." It's Mom's words. And then, the tree of life had just lost an another leaf.

I'm drowning in the sea of darkness; in this living dead reality.

"What a beautiful ending!!" The man cheers, "I almost shed my tears! In laughters, of course! I wonder, how much will Boss reward me!" He laughs again with the top of his voice.

I keep silencing myself. My eyes got numb. Coldness keeps on coating me.

You carry the blood of Wallace as killers.

Killers. That's us. I am a Wallace; I am a killer.

Penetrating the wrath in my system, I pick up the blade of Dad. I'm reluctant at first. It is my first time holding a sword. But it doesn't matter. My mind got blank. There's something inside of me is activating. It's an empowering sensation that striking to my system like small thunders.

I need to fight. I have to fight. I run to the man, crying with anger and pain. Without vacillation, I slice the man and he's cut in two.

I killed him. It doesn't feel so bad. It doesn't feel good, either. I feel nothing.

I go back to Mom and Dad. I let go of the sword, falling it to the ground with clanks. I kneel down as I cry in deep anguish.

"Mom . . . Dad . . . My chest hurts so badly. You left me alone. I don't know how to live now. How can I live? Where I have to go? What I'm going to do?"

They didn't respond but their blood keeps on streaming.

How beautiful is the color of blood. The color of death. The color of the sky when the sun is setting down and rising up.

Crimson death in crimson sky.

The morning sun rises up and lightens the dead bodies.

It's morning. It is the sign of living again.

I should have learn not to feel. I should learn how to feel nothing.

I will live and I will not die.