Fractured

Chapter 1

Winter is not something to trifle in Siberia. It wouldn't take long for someone to be consumed by the snow. Although, there was one thing as strong as the Siberian winter and that was honkai energy. This kind of energy is difficult for humans to tolerate. As the energy levels increased, more people felt ill. One woman was cooking dinner for her and her daughter who was upstairs sick in bed with a low-grade fever when her vision started to blur, and her body swayed. She placed her hands down trying to stabilize herself, but one hand landed on the stove which she hastily retracted as soon as she heard the searing sound yelping in pain. The woman hobbled her way to the sink running her hand under cold water wincing in pain as the cool water contacted the burnt flesh. She heard the pattering of footsteps from upstairs followed by the creaking of the stairs as a young girl with light purple hair that almost mirrored the appearance of the woman in the kitchen can be seen.

"Mama? Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes Sirin, Mama is fine." Sirin could tell that her mother was lying. Her skin was pale, and she wasn't even looking at her. Sirin walked into the kitchen standing next to her mother who leaned over the sink with her hand still under the water. The palm was red and even started to form blisters. After running her hand under the water for ten minutes, the woman turned the faucet off.

"Mama?" Sirin spoke softly. Her mother glanced over to see Sirin's face visibly concerned.

"No need to worry, Mama is fine." She repeated reassuring her daughter and more so herself. Once again, her vision began to blur. She blinked a few times hoping her eyes would refocus however she was unsuccessful. It didn't take long until she collapsed onto the floor. Her hand caught the tablecloth from kitchen table dragging it down with her causing the plates on top to fall and shatter.

"Mama!" Sirin called out to her mother as she rushed to her side getting on her knees trying to shake her mother awake. When that failed, Sirin panicked rushing out of the house screaming for help. A thick white carpet of snow covered the ground making it difficult for Sirin to run. Large flakes and windy created an environment with almost no visibility. All Sirin could see was the color white. As she trekked through the snow, Sirin continued to call for help. The air was so crisp from the cold it stung her skin. Eventually, her low-grade fever spiked causing her to feel lightheaded. She stopped in her tracks hunching over with her hands on her knees squeezing her eyes shut as it was the only thing that kept her head from spinning. Once she felt the feeling pass, she opened her eyes again. Unfortunately, her quick movements resulted in the dizzy sensation she felt a minute ago return and she ultimately passed out. Luckily, she was found by an unknown person before the snowfall could bury her.

Hours later, Sirin woke up in a hospital bed. Her clothes had been changed from her pajamas to a hospital gown. Her limbs were wrapped in bandages. Remembering what she was going, Sirin jumped out of bed searching room to room hoping someone had found her mother and brought her in as well. After checking each room, Sirin became more frantic with no sign of her mother anywhere. The last room she checked, Sirin let out a sigh of relief when she saw her mother lying in bed. "Mama!" She rushed over only to discover that her mother looks worse than she did before. Her skin was as white as the snow outside. She grabbed her mother's hand that was clammy to the touch with both of hers as she stood at her mother's bedside. Seeing her in this state made Sirin wonder how long her mother was sick and why she never noticed. Her mother turned her head to look her daughter in the eyes. Her eyes were dull and sunken. Tears rolled down Sirin's cheeks.

"There's no need for you to be sad" Her voice had become raspy as the words she spoke were choppy. "Promise Mama that you'll take good care of yourself." Sirin didn't say a word. Her hands trembled as she tried her best not to squeeze her mother's hand worried, she would end up hurting her. "I love you Sirin" were the last words her mother uttered. Sirin felt her mother's hand go limp in her hands. Two men wearing white lab coats over their business casual attire entered the room.

"Looks like this one expired too" One man said in a hushed tone to the other although Sirin could still hear them. She gave them the side eye while still holding her mother's hand.

"You need to come with us" The other man spoke.

"I'm not leaving Mama"

"Staying here isn't going to bring your mother back to life" The first man spoke. His words were harsh but honest. "You and your mother were both affected by the honkai radiation just like everyone else that was brought into this facility. Unless you want to end up like your mother, you'll come with us." Sirin refused to leave her mother's side even though she knew there was truth to his words. She could stay here for as long as she wanted but it wasn't going to change the fact that despite her staying here, she was still all alone. Her mother's dying wish was that she takes care of herself so maybe she should do what the men tell her to do.

"Alright, fine" Sirin reluctantly agreed. She whispered a final goodbye to her mother before letting go of her mother's hand watching it fall to the side of the bed. "Where are you taking me?"

"To a place that has other kids your age. Maybe you'll make some friends." At this point, Sirin wasn't sure if she wanted to make any friends. She walked past the two men now standing out in the hall. "I'll call to have someone come remove the body" He whispered to his colleague. Once again, Sirin gave them the side-eye. She wasn't going to say anything since she was only a little girl and doubted, they would take her words or actions seriously. They escorted her out of the building loading her into the back of a large truck that held other people in hospital gowns. The snow had stopped barreling down which made transporting everyone simple. Large buildings that were masked before could now be seen from miles away. Locked away in the back of the truck, Sirin couldn't see anything on the outside. She sat on the bench towards the front of the truck hugging her knees to her chest. The ride was bumpy but not terrible. She had only been in the truck for fifteen minutes. After that, she heard the engine cut off and the front doors of the truck open and close. The same men from before opened the doors to the back of the truck letting everyone out. After Sirin got out of the truck, she stood in front of a large tower. They were all brought into the tower with the adults being taken to one side and Sirin along with the other children were taken to another. No one explained what was going on despite how many times they were asked. Everyone was told to do as they say without a reason to why. Anyone that retaliated against the men in the lab coats were punished. Sirin knew that if she wanted to honor her mother's wishes, it was best to do as she was told.