FALTER

CHAPTER 53: The road to heaven.

Ari looked at her mother. The sunrise peeked through the cracks between the tall buildings, rays of light falling like brushstrokes on her frail, thin face; her sunken eyes that were greedily looking past her own daughter; her hands were fidgeting between each other underneath extremely long sleeves.

"He's waiting. He calls."

"I know, mom. How about we go find him?"

"Yes..."

She said it with so much hunger in her voice that it took all Ari had to not let her heart shatter in two. Fighting back the lump in her throat, she kissed the old woman between white strands of frayed hair and stepped back.

They were a little past downtown, but still very much in the heart of Youth City. Starting their journey at the crack of dawn had turned out in favour of them. While wrecked cars still smoked, and broken glass crunched under their shoes, the riots from the day previous had subsided, if only for a little while.

Imti's face was irritated under the shadow of his cap. As they had walked through the streets, Ari could see his hands twitch under his pants as they passed destroyed storefronts and crying families. He had fully stopped once, when a little girl, being helped by the police, was inconsolable over her parents leaving to look for "Him."

It was only once they had left the controlled chaos of the city center and walked further out by the highway, when the buildings got less shinier and more rugged, built for function, that the whirlwind of pain had quietened down. But even that...

"Could you... could you point us where He is?" Willow said meekly. There was still a cloud of guilt casting over his bright voice.

The old woman almost snapped her neck trying to lock eyes with the priest, and when she did, her face contorted immediately into an ugly rage.

"You. He hates you. All of you... you children."

Her lips moved faster than the words she said, as usual. Ari bit the inside of her cheek to stay composed, but Willow looked perturbed.

"Right. Sorry."

"Ari." Imti said, a little louder than necessary. His eyes had sharpened and his shoulders stood alert.

No more words needed to be said. Ari flexed her arms beneath her long jacket, warming herself up for what's coming. However, her voice was steady. "That's not nice, mom. We all just want to meet Him, find our way back...?"

The woman stood still for a second, once again staring off into the distance before a violent vibration occurred all over her body. It lasted only momentarily, before a slanted smile formed on her face.

"Of course... of course. The lost lambs must find their way back to their creator. To Death."She then walked forward. Ari glanced at Imti.

"You two go on ahead."

She nodded grimly, then motion to Willow to follow. As Ari looked at her mother taking unnatural steps towards wherever she was leading them, a wave of bile rose in her throat.A combination of anger and disgust roared inside of her psyche. It was sickening, standing near her mother, knowing there was something inside her, writhing around in her body, infecting her very mind with its thoughts. And it was maddening not being able to do anything about it but that's the price Ari chose to pay.