Red Water

Brilliant Blaze

The man tapped her shoulder to wake her up. She looked around and stretched her arms out. The new world she woke up in was unclean, and looked old. Erza thought she was dreaming.

    “Where are we?”

    “We’re gonna find your sister. Come on.”

    She got up out of the car and started walking down the road of the town. She looked up at the tall buildings, obviously abandoned long ago. The trees were all dead, and even the ivy on them looked like it was on it’s last breath. She didn’t care, she just scanned the moisture in the air, looking for a sign of life that wasn’t a bug or a plant. She heard a small giggle and looked at the source. She ran to it and the man rushed after her. She jumped up a pile of rubble and slid down the other side. She stared in disbelief at Faith, tears starting to fill her eyes. Faith looked at her and her eyes went wide. They both started to sprint towards each other, but suddenly Erza was struck in the back of the head. The last thing she saw was Faith screaming and falling down in front of her, a needle in her neck. Before her world faded to black, she saw the man grab Faith, and carry them both away.

    Erza woke up slowly, leaning back against something hard, and cold. Her vision was blurry, and her head pounded like a horse’s hoof against hard ground. She looked up and her vision started to clear. She was in some kind of glass tube, it was colored green and outside there were wires that criss crossed over each other like a woven blanket. She stood up and looked around.

    “Faith?”

    “She can’t hear you.” the man said as he walked in front of the tube.

    “Where is she!?”

    “Safe, of course. I need both of you.”

    She glared at him through the glass. “Why are you doing this?”

    He hit the glass with his arm, sending her stumbling back in fear. “Because I want my daughter back! I only made one mistake, that was it, why should she be punished for that?”

    She looked at him. “You were the drunk driver?”

    He nodded. “I punish myself every single day just by thinking of her... thinking of you. I've lived with this grief for too long."

    “But you said you never listened to her! You said that you were the one that killed her! Why are you doing this to me!?”

    "Your power doesn't deserve to be in your hands. I can use it to bring back my daughter if I get all of you.”

    "You're going to kill four children just to bring your daughter back?"

    "Why should I be punished!? You're the one that kills people, not me!"

    "You killed your daughter!! You got drunk, and drove with your daughter in the car, and now you're just adding bodies to the pile!”

    “It wasn't my fault! You don't know what you're talking about, you're just an abomination! A mistake of nature!”

   "You're the one that made the mistake, when you trusted yourself more than your daughter.

    He glared at her and clicked a button on a machine in the middle of the room. A few yards away, Faith was standing in an orange tube that was identical to her own.

    “F-Faith?”

    “Erza? W-What’s going on?”

    “Faith, don’t move, okay? I’m gonna get you out of there!”

    The man continued pushing buttons and he glared at Erza. “You’re not taking my daughter away from me.”

    She hit the glass again, her knuckles popped open and she winced. Her blood hit the floor and she stared at it, and back up at him, making sure he wasn't looking. She held up her hand and the blood floated up and condensed, making a small hardened ball about the size of a marble that floated just above her hand. She hit it against the glass, and small cracks started to form. She hit it again, and again, and again. Each hit made more progress on breaking yhe glass tube around her. The man looked up and rushed over but it was too late, the glass broke and she ran at him, expanding the blood and slashing for his legs. He jumped over the wave of blood and kicked her in the face. She fell back and he held his foot over her skull, putting pressure on it, and trying to break it.

    “You're not a human... you're a murderer.”

She struggled against him but couldn't overpower him. Her head started to pound, and she waved her hands around, trying to get the blood to move but she couldn't focus enough. Suddenly, before her vision started to tunnel, she saw a light from behind him. She looked up to see Faith’s tube glowing like the sun. Her eyes widened and the tube suddenly burst into a blaze of fire. Faith walked out of the tube, her hair was flowing upwards and burning bright. Flames moved around her and swirled. The man started to run but all Faith did was blink and he was suddenly dust. Erza didn’t even see what had happened, but the flames started to die out, finally letting her hair fall and making the room dim again. Faiths small thin body toppled slowly and hit the ground.

Erza rushed to pick her up. “Faith!”

Faith slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her. “B-Big sis?”

Erza nodded and hugged her. “It’s me! I’m here! I-I’m sorry I took so long to find you…”

Faith smiled. “Don’t be. I’m happy you’re here.”

Erza helped Faith stand up and held her arm over her back. She walked towards the exit, stepping by the bloody stubs poking out of the shoes that were melted into the floor. Faith stared at the bloody stubs and her eyes widened.

“D-Did I do that?”

Erza shook her head. “No. It wasn’t your fault. It was his. He couldn’t let go.”

Faith looked up at Erza and sighed. “I know how he feels… If I had to let you go, I would’ve been those little feet there.”

Erza shook her head. “No, because I’ll never leave your side again. You won’t have to let me go.”

Faith smiled. “Everything flows downstream eventually.”

Erza smiled back. “Well, I’ll flow right along next to you, Faith.”

Faith smiled and hugged her gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They both walked away from the building, letting the past flow away with the red water.