What If... {Stuck with the Past}

Rats and Cats

But there was no floor there.

She fell through the darkness and landed on her rib cage and chin.

She grunted as horrible pain spread through her neck.

At least she could still feel the lower part of her body.

She wanted to get up, but felt how she couldn't control the lower part of her face.

She tasted blood through the terrible numbness in her mouth.

Her jaw was completely unhinged.

She touched it. Nothing. She couldn't feel anything.

Suddenly she heard tiny paws scurry over the floor.

She froze.

There's no way.

Those were rat paws.

And suddenly there was more. They squirmed to her feet.

Fire rose up her legs. They had sunken their teeth into her skin.

The country screamed, tried to tear them off but they hung to her legs like leaches.

But... rats are audible...

She tore them off of her skin, the flesh hooked in their jaws.

Blood now poured down her leg and her back, attracting more and more rats.

They worked their way up to her stomach.

It was hopeless. She felt how she fell to her knees in defeat, crushing some rats beneath her.

The country wailed in pain. They bit into her skin and started working their way to her organs. Their chewing was loud. They bucked up against her to sink their teeth into her flesh, tearing it out with a crunching sound.

Blood poured onto the floor. All that blood...

Lightning struck close by.

New Spain jumped up. The pain was still all over her body.

She shook as tears rolled down her face.

She immediately put her hands on her jaw.

It's still in place.

She touched her stomach.

No hole.

But the pain still remained.

That's why it was so surreal. It was just a dream. Just a dream...

But that didn't stop her tears. They still poured down in streams.

Thirteen Colonies peacefully slept on the other side of the room.

That's right. I'm not home. The Spanish Inquisitor isn't here. I'm safe.