Kingdom Come (Book 1)

Chapter Twelve:

Alice stood enveloped by the darkness, a suffocating quiet pressing against her. Her mind betrayed her, dragging her back to that distant memory—the day she nearly drowned at just two years old. On a family outing, someone had carelessly left the gate to the pool open, and her toddler curiosity led her straight into the water.

That day left its mark. Ever since, Alice had despised pools and large bodies of water, carrying a secret aversion Yolande called Aquaphobia. She avoided swimming events with deliberate creativity—sick days, excuses that no one dared question. After all, Alice was the good girl, the one who never caused a stir.

But baths? Those were the worst. They dragged her into the darkness, into the tight, gasping horror of her lungs constricting. And now, standing in the pitch black, those feelings surged back like an unstoppable tide. She screamed, the sound cutting through the stillness and echoing endlessly.

Then, light. A sudden, gentle illumination, accompanied by a voice—soft, feminine, carried on a whispering breeze: "Alice."

Her breath caught. Was she dreaming? She thought so, as the darkness gave way to a beach bathed in golden sunlight. The warmth settled on her skin, her surroundings snapping into focus—white sand stretching endlessly, sapphire waters shimmering, palm trees swaying lazily in the breeze. And in front of her stood Elizabeth.

Alice froze. Her mother looked radiant, impossibly healthy, with bright eyes and long brown hair. She was clothed in white, barefoot against the sand, untouched by sickness. No trace of cancer shadowed her here. It was perfection—a paradise.

"Mom?" Alice whispered, her voice cracking as she took a step forward. Elizabeth smiled, unmoving, proud.

"Mom?" Alice called again, louder this time, desperate for a response. Nothing.

She closed the final gap between them, standing inches away, her heart pounding in her chest. "Mom?" she pleaded. And finally, Elizabeth spoke, her gaze unyielding yet kind:

"Alison, come with me. We can go home, babe. We can be a family."

Alice reached out, her fingers trembling, so close to touching Elizabeth's hand, to feeling her warmth. They could be whole again—a family. What did the old world have to offer her anyway?

But before she could take the leap, a jolt surged through her—a pulse of electricity, powerful and grounding, as if Clayton himself had hooked her to his truck's battery and flipped the switch. The spark reminded her, dragging her back: there would always be a reason to live. Always.

The pulse hit her again, forcing her back a few feet away as Elizabeth stared.

Ow.

Everything went dark, the vision of her smiling mother slipping from Alice as she was falling back into the darkness, screaming.

"Alison. Miss Clarke. Can you hear me?"

Someone was speaking to her. She could hear more than one person. She sensed she was surrounded by a lot of people, maybe at the hospital, all Alice smelt was chemicals and blood.

"Alison. Come back to me. You can't leave me" the voice was upset, she could feel a hand around hers.

Alice just wanted was sleep.

"Miss Clarke don't go to sleep. Please stay awake for me." a voice said again, this time sterner.

Everything when black like smoke as she fell asleep to his words.

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