My mother's bright eyes gleamed in the evening light. She held both of my hands in hers, whispering something inaudible. Her gaze rested on something past me, out in the distance. "Mother...?" I whispered, my words caught in the midnight breeze.

"Do not worry my child, for I will always be with you." She smiled softly. Her expression turned to worry, her whole body quivering in fear. I turned to where she had been staring, and immediately realized why she had been shaking so badly. A huge, black, thorny hand reached up from the sky and hovered above my terrified mother.

I shrieked in terror. My mother smiled that same smile she has always worn before she left, and lifted her arms. The hand gripped one of them in its clutches, and tore it right off with a snap. A river of blood flew from her shoulder like a hose. She screamed. I tried to do the same, but only a squeak would escape my mouth.

The other arm. He twisted and jerked it, until it finally gave way and ripped of of the socket. Tears ran down my cheeks, creating a pool under me. I couldn't look away; he wanted me to suffer. My legs crumpled under me and I fell to the ground into the puddle I had created, my ears still picking up the screams of my late mother, now throaty and bloody and murderous.

I gasped and lurched up from my bed. My stomach jumped, my food from the day before threatening to come up again. It would never stay down, no matter how much I tried.

I took a deep breath through my nose, and instantly regretted it. This hideous place was practically a convention for mold, feces, and dust to gather. Disgusting. I had to get out of there...

I observed the room around me. Above me, hung a chipped wood cross barely held up by a rusty hook. It was bound to fall on my head one day. A clown picture hung on the wall, looking much too happy for this dreary, odious room. It was mid-laughter... reminding me that I would probably never laugh again. Below the painting was a white nightstand-like drawer. I rattled the knob, but it was alas, it was locked and needed a key.

I yelled out in frustration and yanked at the curtain without thinking. It collapsed with a loud crash, a cloud of dust instantly floating up at clouding the air. I coughed and got on my knees to see if I could fix it before someone noticed what had happened. There was a golden hook on the ground, only a bit larger than the palm of my hand. I looked about to make sure no one was watching me, and shoved it into my purse quickly. I'm not sure why, but I had a feeling it would come in handy later.

Now that the curtain was removed, I was able to look out the window. The inky, black sky was barely dotted with stars, the road outside slightly lit by the street lights turning in routine, as always. The boundary walls were nearly eight feet high and impossible to get over. The people here were determined to keep us in no matter what.

A/N: Sorry this is so short and crappy, I've just been really busy with school and stuffs :/