Apocalypse: The echoes of Madness

Her heartbeat raced, and she almost forgot to breathe.

"Liam, go hide," she whispered to her brother, her voice trembling. She stepped toward the door, each step heavier than the last. Her hand shook violently as she reached for the doorknob. Finally, with a quivering voice, she asked,

"Mom… is that you?"

She opened the door and saw her mother standing there. Her mother smiled and said,

"Rose, come here. Give Mom a hug."

Tears streamed down Rose's face as she ran to her mother.

"Mom, I missed you so much!"

But then, with a cold voice, her mother whispered,

"Die."

Before Rose could react, her mother stabbed her.

"Huh? Mom?" Rose gasped, coughing up blood as she stumbled backward.

She saw a figure emerge from the shadows behind her mother. The figure grabbed her as her mother's voice echoed,

"Die… die… because of you, my life was ruined!"

Rose collapsed to the floor, blood pooling around her. She smiled weakly.

"In reality, I already knew… she wasn't my mother," Rose thought. "But I wanted to see her one last time, to hold her and tell her I missed her. Mom once told me that if anything happened to her, I had to take care of Liam. But I failed. I couldn't protect him… Liam is dead. I have no reason to live anymore. And so… death finally came for me."

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"What? What happened? Where am I?"

"Miss Rose, you're awake! Call the doctor—quickly, she's awake!" the nurse shouted.

The doctor rushed into the room.

"Miss Rose! Can you hear me?"

"Who is Rose? Why are you calling me that?" Rose asked, her voice laced with confusion.

The doctor exchanged a glance with the nurse before saying,

"Miss, it seems you've lost your memory due to the trauma but It's common these days,you will get your memory back soon."

"No, I haven't! My name isn't Rose. I'm Lily!"

The doctor paused, looking at her carefully.

"Then… can you tell me how you got here?"

"Of course, I—" Rose faltered, her voice trailing off. "Wait… how did I get here?"

"Miss, you've been in a coma for six months after the accident," the doctor explained. "You should rest. Someone is coming to see you."

"Who's coming?" Rose began, but before she could finish her question, the doctor and nurse left the room.

Looking at the mirror in the corner, she whispered to herself,

"I know I'm not her. But… who am I? Why don't I remember anything? And… what is this place? There aren't even any windows."

A nurse entered the room, interrupting her thoughts.

"Miss, someone has come to meet you," the nurse said softly.

Rose turned toward the door as someone stepped into the room.

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(to be continued)

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