Miracles in a Lifetime

XVII • MEMORIES ☓ FRIENDS

     "H-how?" Killua looks at my once severely injured arm with incredulousness. It's all healed now.

     No one says anything in response. Ren doesn't know, and clearly, neither does Killua. Only I do. Killua's question still hangs in the air, and I'm suddenly reminded of my painful memories, making my ears ring.

     I hate how these memories always find a way to haunt me. I experienced them such a long time ago, so why do they keep forcing themselves into my mind, as if they just happened yesterday?

     I shut my eyes as tight as I can to try and rid of them, but I end up seeing them once again.

     "C'mon, little one! Scream! Let me know how painful it is!" Ryouko cackled wickedly, torturing me as I cried out. "Yes, that's right. Louder!"

     "Please, mother! Let me go! Please don't do this!" I begged her, my pleading face looking at the twisted smile that was plastered on her white, porcelain face.

     "Mother...? Me? I'm not your mother, you detestable cretin. Your head is all jumbled with this amazing pain that you fear! But don't fret, I can help you with that!" she said with a malicious grin, her eyes glistening with craze underneath the light. The look on her face was void of any pity.

     Freezing for a second, I whimpered with terror while trying to break the chains shackled to my limbs. Ryouko had made them personally, and since she told my young and naive self that even a giant couldn't break them, I believed her.

     The more I moved, the more the cuffs would wring my wrists and ankles, and it hurt so bad. Blood dripped from my hands and feet, and it felt like I was going to lose my body parts.

     "Oh, you poor thing. Don't whimper, and start screaming in pain! In agony!" I wanted to shy away and cover my ears to prevent me from hearing that woman say anything else, but everything hurt too much to move. "Ara, ara~! Your hands will be cut off, and then where will my fun go? You'll die from blood loss, and then I won't have anyone to torture! And then the death of others will be all your fault!"

     Her high pitched voice rang in my ears, giving me a migraine. She then leaned in really close and tilted my head up by pushing my chin up with her index finger.

     "You should be glad that you can be of sacrifice to the people," she whispered diabolically, squeezing my face which caused the inside of my cheek to get cut from my teeth.

     Ryouko aggressively took off the shackles, not caring that my flesh was almost cut through to the bone. Practically yanking my arm out of its socket, she dragged me over to an operatory chair, suddenly leaving the room. I felt myself sigh in relief, until my body tensed once more upon hearing Ryouko's tools clinking together.

     She sauntered toward me with a knife and an other tool, and started cutting off parts of my body. She started with the tip of my fingers, and guffawed at my pain as I screamed even louder than before.

     I thought I was going to die.

     Ryouko finally stopped, and heartlessly chucked me into a pool of a weird substance, a glowing liquid. It seeped into every one of my open wounds, and the pain was immeasurable. I screamed, but Ryouko could not hear me. I was underwater, so all that came out were air bubbles.

     'Please, please let me go...'

«•»«•»«•»«•»«•»