Extended Family - A G/t Shorty

Ch. 10 48 hours

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The sounds around me faded into nothing, leaving only the steady beats from my unnerved heart. I blinked and suddenly found myself transported to a long-forgotten memory. I stretched my hand out into the darkness, my fingers feeling cold and fragile. Gradually, a faint silhouette emerged and seemed to beckon me toward it but kept slipping away as I approached.

"...Little girl..." a deep, distant voice called to me.

Who was that...?

Mama?

Mama! I wanted to cry out, but my voice was suppressed, leaving my throat void of sound.

My mother was my only sanctuary. She possessed arms strong yet tender enough to cradle and shelter me. I craved her warmth, especially now.

The dense haze was thicker than a summer's midnight fog blinded me and made it impossible for me to see anything beyond my natural sight. The scenery around me slowly materialized into dreary grasslands, and gray skies and became familiar to me. It was neither hot nor cold; neither noisy nor silent as the only sounds that I picked up were from my breath and heartbeats. Suddenly, I felt trembles rumbling under my feet, growing stronger and stronger, as if they were powerful enough to shatter the very foundation with just one step. My skin, sensitive to the touch, sensed the hairs on my arms stand and coerced the rest of my body to harden like ice.

I wandered around and reached out pathetically in hopes I could touch something, someone...her.

Mama, where are you? I frantically searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I was cold and scared. Had she abandoned me?

A viscous substance suddenly impeded my hazy vision once again. I'm drenched from head to toe and unable to keep my eyes open. The stench was something that I could practically taste, inflicting damage to my palate and I nearly threw up.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Mama, is that you? Why do you sound so different? My voice returned in the form of a silent exclamation but as I wiped the sludge away and craned my neck up...

The danger had morphed into a monstrous silhouette, still veiled by the murky haze, towering over me in all of its enormity. His presence caused the entire world to shake, and his shadow cast a dark veil over the barren plains, forcing the fauna to hide from his imposing stature. The mountains themselves must've cowered at the immense strength he possessed as if he were an omnipotent entity. Mankind was forced to witness the reality that he was a threat that no human could ever hope to challenge unless they valued their own life.

From a distance, I finally found my mother and while I was happy for the moment, my smile quickly vanished. She was on her knees, appearing to plead at him in a high-pitched voice like a suffering banshee. One horrified look from her to me, the dense fog swept in and claimed her, leaving nothing where she stood.

Mama don't leave me alone! I'm scared of the giant monster!

I tried to scream some more but my voice was weak and hoarse. I wanted to run, but I was bound to the dry, cold ground and couldn't move.

Suddenly, a gust stronger than a hurricane knocked me back, a familiar pain shot up my elbow and it became stained in scarlet. I looked up again after the dust settled was a giant man, staring back at me, with a crimson gaze so intense it could easily burn everything as far as his vision permits.

I've seen those furious red eyes before. Soon, I was going to join my mother in the afterlife. There was no chance I could stand up against a giant in my own weakened state. I think I crawled into a fetal position, awaiting the fate that would be served to me.