SHOBA POV

By now, Shoba was heaving so heavily he could only hear his labored breaths fighting through his gaping mouth. The more time he spent wasting here, the worse their situation might be. That dark thought almost created an invisible pair of hands pushing against his back.

'Come on Shoba- come on-keep moving.'

He moved again, this time with a body bogged down by fatigue and frailty. He finally climbed the stone set of steps. Shoba gave his chest a slight bump to acknowledge his tireless run up here. But his mind quickly shifted towards his apartment. He took a left turn and jogged across the closed doors. Just a few more doors left, and then he would be home; he would be home and find them there, waiting for him safe and sound. Shoba ran past their neighbors' familiar dark lime door; their apartment was next along on the left. 'It's quiet?' He arrived at the face of his familiar door. He placed his palm against the cold stainless steel. The door creaked slightly open with ease. 'It's ajar?' Shoba lightly pushed the door aside. His nerves were on edge, watching the door slowly sneer open. Awaiting his arrival a seemingly normal hallway at first. He took a step forward onto the creaking redwood floor.

Wuwuwuwuwuwu

'T-that noise…it sounds familiar.'

Shoba's eyes snapped open and he saw a red shadow cast against the wall at the end of the corridor. With urgency, he quickened his footsteps and turned around the corner.

"MOM!" he yelled desperately.

Shoba's body stiffened instantly with an immeasurable feeling of anguish washing through his entire body. One of those strange portal things had appeared right in his living room. The entire living room, as well as the open kitchen area, were in a complete mess. The floors were covered with broken debris and bundles of linen and wool were scattered everywhere. But what gripped his entire heart was the scene of half of his Mom's body submerged into this glaring crimson-red portal.

"M-mo-o-m?" Shoba whimpered.

Her frail head gently raised itself up to meet him. Her sallow skin was covered in sweat and strings of her black hair stuck to her face. Shoba saw her sunken gaze fill with spirit and relief.

"Sho…my beautiful…boy."

Shoba's heart hurt; everything hurt. He could barely stand and almost stumbled forward as he slid against his knees and arrived by her side. He took her by her two arms and began to pull her out of this strange and damned portal.

But something was wrong. The force acting against Shoba felt as though he was attempting to pull a mountain with his bare hands. 'Grr-why won't she budge…grr-come on-move-please move!'

"Shoba…it's ok…I…I'm ok." She said this softly; her almond-shaped eyes filled with a look of serenity against them which set Shoba's heart ablaze with worry. She had accepted her fate. But he refused to accept anything.

"No-o-o- you're not!

What the hell is even that thing? The world has gone mad Mom! So I need to get you out of hereeeee-urgh- We have to run…grrrr-W-we have to leave To-kyyy-oo-grr-ergh." Shoba continued fighting against this immovable force.

"Sh-shoba…it's ok… beautiful boy. I…I can't escape this-"

"STOP IT! Yes, you can erggggg-grrrr c-come on…fight it, Mom! Pl-please…"

"Shoba, l-listen to me…protect her…you must protect your sister. Promise me, pr-promise me you'll look after her when I'm gone. I…I can feel something…SHOBA! Yo-you need to run – G-g-g-goo Now!"

"kukukuku...Found you...boy!!!"

Before another word left Shoba's mouth, his entire body froze in place; a cold wind moved through his mind, and he heard it then, a chilling voice arriving almost beside the side of his face. Its ghostly cackle sent an ominous wave of anxiety running through his bones. Without a second's thought longer, his body recoiled away from the portal as though an invisible arm flung him to one side. "N-n-no," Shoba stammered, feeling the strength leaving him entirely as his body was cast towards the other side of the room.

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He almost lost his will to speak, spotting a telltale shimmer of eel-like things appearing from within the portal. Shoba was assured he saw a hand, but what darkened his heart the most at that precise moment was the fleeting feeling of his mother's fingertips finally prying free from his desperate hold. Time almost slowed down as he helplessly could do nothing more but watch her descend into this vortex of hellish madness. Her mouth moved, inaudible sounds escaping free from her lips, but Shoba's eyes only focused on that smile of hers. She was happy? Her eyelids softly closed before finally, her entire body sank deeper into the portal.

ZWHIPPPP

CRASH!

The brittle windows finally crumbled as shards began to fall in unison. The portal vanished, snatching away his Mom with it. The shattered glass crumbled into tiny Verglas pieces. Shoba saw his sanity scattered alongside the glass shards against the floor. He couldn't feel anything within his body at this point; he remained on his knees, his head sunk dropped low with his eyes bulging lifelessly wide.

This feeling? Was this…just before his heart sank entirely into despair

"Ri…Ringo?"

Shoba's body moved on instinct, rising to his staggering feet; a wave of nausea hit him, but his feet remained steady and he took a few minutes to clear his head. 'Mother…' His heart felt broken and his voice trembled into a soft whimper. Shoba gingerly walked back towards the dark hallway; along the way, those muffled sounds started to appear in his ears more clearly now. It was coming from Ringo's room.

He moved with a slight urgency and finally reached her familiar beige door. Shoba placed his palm against the firm wood, printing a bloody handprint against the door; he only realized now he was bleeding. But the pain inside was far greater than any cut or bruise he carried. Anger welled inside of him, a sense of powerlessness against a far greater being that snatched his mother away from him.

Shoba used his bloody hand to gently push Ringo's door aside.

Upon entry, he was immediately forced into shielding his gaze from a blinding light filling the room. His vision was compromised, but Shoba could hear muffled voices; something strange was going on.

"Ringo! Ringo ca-can you hear me," he said.

"Sh…shoba?" Her delicate voice responded, but Shoba carried a blinded gaze.

"Ringo, where are you? What's going on." The bright light was as piercing as the very sun. Shoba walked two steps forward and then stopped suddenly. Thankfully, he could feel the warm brightness subsiding. It took a few moments for the haze to dissipate from his eyes. So he raised his head and a gasp snatched at his throat.

There was another portal gaping wide against Ringo's bedroom wall. She was dressed in her suede boots with her pajama bottoms, and a long coat. Confusion flashed against Shoba's eyes, swiftly failing to understand what was going on.

"R-ringo? Wh-what are you…" Before he uttered another word, Shoba only now realized there was something, or someone else standing behind his sister. He immediately drew the conclusion that the previously blinding light hailed from this luminous being. Her skin was pure white, so much so it almost looked grey. She was clothed in thin clean fabrics which reminded him of those Grecian Gods. Golden runes covered her entire left arm. A set of intricately woven patterns which seemed to be writhing against her perfect skin with a mind of their own. Shoba couldn't fathom just how beautiful she looked; he was convinced it was a she, judging by her body proportions and the vibrantly long tussle of platinum strands falling down her shoulders.

Only, despite the clear signs of her ethereal beauty, Shoba felt coldness emanating from those almond-shaped piercing red eyes of hers.

She looked at him, almost through him to be precise, before lowering her gaze towards Ringo. She said a few words which sparked Shoba's brain to move again.

"Let us go now…" Her coral-like speech pricked over Shoba's heart like a sharp icy dagger.

"RINGO! WAIT!" he shouted almost reactively.

His sister halted her movements at the desperate sounds of his voice; Shoba saw her little shoulders tremble and slowly twisted her neck around to meet him. He had never seen her making such a face before. Fresh tears trailed down the same path as the dried ones, her mouth spluttering sounds and she strained herself into making an ugly smile.

"Ringo what-what are you doing…m-mother…she's g-gone," Shoba's voice choked in his throat. His voice staggered to break free into a concise conversation.

A brief look of anguish washed over Ringo's face, but then Shoba was surprised to see a look of defiance swiftly replacing it. She bit her lower lip, her shaking gaze unable to focus on his own. And then she said something that almost left him breathless.

"Sho…shoba. I'm…I'm so sorry. B-but I have to g-go...G-goodbye." She turned around and walked voluntarily into the portal.

Seeing this, Shoba was left almost incredulous; something snapped inside of him, pulling him out of his daydreams, he rushed forward. He made it three steps before a feeling of impending doom fell upon him. Shoba remembered feeling as though his footsteps were treading on the clouds. He also remembered that pure smile from that godly figure. It wasn't so much a pleasant smile, nor the kind you might effortlessly give a passing stranger. It seemed almost tainted, mocking him, in the same way a lion might smirk at the sight of a tiny insect prickling against its paw.

She waved an arm towards Shoba, and a fountain of carmine sprayed vibrantly against the air. His body turned to lead, and he felt the weight of 100 arms falling against his back, forcing him down. Shoba's vision blurred almost at the same point his body met the hoarse carpeted ground; darkness began to invade his vision from the corners in. He was losing consciousness…Shoba lifted his dreary gaze and noticed a hysterical Ringo attempting to call out to him. Only that luminous figure stood in her way.

He was fading quickly. The world was turning silent. And gently, Shoba began to hear the staggered thrums of his slow beating heart...

'ba-dum...ba-dum...ba...dum...b...ba...d-dum...'

'Mother…Ringo…s-sorry.'