Universal Collision

Cold

Lauren awoke to a thumping noise from outside her door. She grabbed her phone and used the light from the screen to find her way out the door.

When she looked around, she saw nothing. But it was what she felt that threw her off. The entire living room felt like a freezer. Like the temperature was steadily dropping. "Hello?" She called softly. "Is there anyone there?"

Silence for a moment, then she heard the thumping sound again. Soft footsteps on the hardwood floors. "Mom? Emma?"

No response.

She crept to the door and flicked on the light, then blinked hard as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Everything was where it was when she went to bed. Not one thing was out of place.

The sound of breaking glass made her run to the kitchen, where she found Emma holding a shard of glass, her normally orange eyes glowing red. "Emma, what are you doing?"

Emma's eyes turned orange and she dropped the glass shard. "Lauren?"

Lauren knelt down and picked up the larger shards of glass before placing them in a cardboard box by the fridge. "Emma, what were you doing? You could have seriously hurt yourself." She hugged her sister and felt as tears landed on her shoulder.

"He told me to. He said it was just a game. He said that if I played well, mommy would let me stop wearing the hat."

She pushed her sister back and looked her in the eyes. "Emma, who told you to do that?"

She pointed behind Lauren. "He's right there if you want to ask him."

Lauren spun around and Rapture caught her by her throat and held her against the wall, holding a finger to his skeletal lips.

"Shhhh. There's no reason to scream. I'm not going to hurt either of you. But that will change quickly if you try to call for help."

Emma tugged on Rapture's robe.

"I thought you said you wouldn't hurt her, daddy."

Rapture patted her head. "She'll be fine, darling. We just need to talk."

Lauren gagged and Rapture dropped her. "What do you want?"

Rapture laughed. "For us to be a family. That's all. You weren't going to let Alex lie to Emma forever, were you?"

Lauren brandished her tendrils. "Leave Emma alone."

Rapture took Lauren's hand. "Let me show you something."

Lauren's vision swirled, then they were in the Black and White building when Elizabeth battled Rapture.

She watched as her mother drove the dagger into his back without giving him a chance to fight back. Then, just as suddenly, they were back in the darkness of the kitchen.

"Is that the woman you would want Emma to look up to? She didn't give him a chance to defend himself. Quite cowardly, don't you think?"

Lauren retracted her tendrils as the thought crossed her mind. In a way, he was right. Elizabeth was a psycho. Who knew how long it would be before she snapped again? And who would be in her way when that happened? Emma? Her? No, she couldn't let that happen.

She smiled and looked into Rapture's glowing orange eyes.

"What do we have to do?"