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I stepped toward the bathtub,hand stretched out to the curtain I had to see for myself I had to know

I took in a deep breath through my nose, steadied my nerves as much as I could, and pulled the curtain back

A scream froze in my throat

Myin the corner of the bathtub, her head slumped over to her shoulder, her eyes closed as if she were asleep on her feet Blood dripped from her ivory wrists to shiny red puddles in the bottoohich disappeared in inky tendrils down the drain

I’d seen her I’d wished to see ht in front of host I’d seen her But she hadn’t seen et away

Her eyes opened She looked right at me

“Dawn,” she said, a s across her face “I told you I’d come”

I tried to scream, tried to htmares that you hope only happens in your dreams I was stuck, a prisoner of the scene

MyAt first, aside froh cheekbones and slim nose Her eyes were the same, her smile, her voice—it looked like her on all accounts But there was so thatreal Her eyes didn’t have any pupils; they were just a blank shade of blue They were eyes that housed nothing—no emotions, no soul, no humanity

This wasn’t my mother Not anymore

I had to get out of there My h the puddles of blood The blood seemed to stir and cos, taking her over in a wash of red It continued todevoured by a crimson tide, until she was completely covered in it

Her eyes, though Her eyes remained white and blue Blank Empty Inhuman

She stopped at the edge of the tub and looked at an to slide down her teeth, covering her once pretty smile

I still couldn’t move when she stepped out of the tub and onto the floor in front of me

“I ht of her, wishing I didn’t have to hear her voice, the voice of the woht, the voice of the woman who lost herself to madness “Didn’t you miss me?”

Foolishly I believed that if I kept o away

When I finally opened the me as only so on her face, like it was another creature and she was the host

“Say younow I felt tears springing tosomewhere inside I felt the need to hold her, to have her holdmy real mother back

“I—II was crazy, that this wasn’t her This wasn’t her

But what if it was?

She held her hand out toslice in her wrist “Then come with me It will be easier this way”

I sed hard, keeping my hands to myself “Easier?”

She smiled “I won’t let them hurt you It won’t be scary, I promise It will be over quickly”

Ianywhere”

The smile on her bloodied face vanished The room went ice cold

Suddenly she lunged for me

I finally screas loud and clear, and turned to run just to see the bathroo on itself

“Sage!” I shrieked as fire-hot hands grabbed the back ofthe door handle I tried to turn and kick but only fell to the floor, which was now filling up with blood The taps in the sink and in the bathtub kicked on by the with a copper tang

Myinto ain, trying to get free I could feel her face changing shape, taking on another form, and I did what I could not to look at her

“Dawn!” I heard Sage bellow fro back and forth “Dawn!” The door shook on its fraainst it

“Help!” I screa rew until it was a thick tentacle forcing its way into ue and down intosucked out ofripped apart

Just as the world was growing black, Sage kicked the door in, breaking it off its hinges The tentacle quickly reo of my back, and I fell forward, limp and lifeless, hths