After telling the story, the mother tucked her daughter to sleep in between her arms. Quickly, her daughter fell asleep while a hand affectionally caress the back of her head.

She couldn’t sleep a wink since she was deep in thought while wearing a forlorn expression on her face. When she looked down at her daughter, who was comfortable cuddled up in her arms, both her thoughts and forlorn expression vanished. “I’ll always love you… and I’ll never let anything bad happen to you,” she said quietly.

“I love you too… mother…” Dorothy, watching by the small window, emotionally answered as the muffled and weak version of the words that the mother muttered reached her ears.

As the night sky continued to change, the clouds gathered above and the winds roared. The mother softly awoke in the middle of the night. She took their coats and a knife which she tied to her waist. She wore the coat and gently shook the tiny child and with a gentle voice, “Honey, honey wake up.”

The little girl awoke, rubbing her eyes, asking, “Mommy… why?”

The mother wasted no time explaining, instead, she threw a coat over her daughter, grabbed her hand, and dashed into the woods that was located near their home.

It was stormy that day, and the sensation Dorothy felt that day as she ran through the dark woods was unforgettable, to this day. As she ran, everything seemed surreal; the frigid winds that hit them every second of the way were chilling, and the thick fog and muck from the rain weren't doing any good either. And although she was puzzled by everything, she didn’t question her mother, as she wholeheartedly trusted her.

Splat! Splat! The sounds of aggressive footsteps against the wet muddy ground could be heard a mile away.

The little girl noticed it, and asked, “Mommy, why are there more people in the forest with us?”

When her mother heard what she had said, she tightened her hold and increased her speed. While her daughter couldn’t keep up with the pace anymore and started to slow down. “Mommy, wait!”

Filled with adrenaline and dread, she couldn’t hear her daughter’s pleas and continued to run, and when they finally got out of the forest, they reached their country’s border.

Tired, the little girl tugged her mother’s coat and asked her while panting, "Why are we here, mommy?"

The mother completely ignored the question, as if rushed, and squatted down to her daughter’s eye level. She held both her small and freezing hands, saying, "Dorothy, honey... you have to survive." As tears streamed down her cheeks, she tried to make a smile. "You have to survive, even if mommy..." She brushed her tears and drew her daughter closer to her, embracing her tightly. “I’m sure you’re going to live a long and happy life. You’ll fall in love and start a family… a wonderful family with a son."

Dorothy watched from a distance, dejected by what she was witnessing, wondering – If only...

"Where are you, subject numbers 586 and 835?" someone screamed somewhere within the woods, echoing throughout the woodland. They then started shooting their rifles randomly in the air, and another guy remarked, “Number 586 the higher up said if you hand over number 835, we might allow you to live a normal life.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Surprised, the mother said, “They’re already here!?”

The little girl started to cry, as she recalled something from her past, remarking, “Mom, mom t-they’re the people from the white room.”

"Honey, calm down, don't worry. I told you before that mommy would protect you," the mother replied, releasing the hug and placing her hands on her daughter’s cheek, wiping away her tears.

Dorothy whispered something as her melancholy morphed into fear and anxiety. “She was probably just as terrified as I was.” She began to yell, “Why! Why was I such a fool!? Why couldn’t I notice it sooner!?”

"Honey, can you do mommy a favor?" the mother asked while she was caressing her cheeks.

While still crying, the small girl nodded her head and tried to create a strong face, attempting to appear brave.

Dorothy calmed down and mumbled, “Am I going to watch this happen again…?”

"Run down that road and promise me you'll live no matter what," the mother said, smiling and pointing down a road that led down the valley and out of the territory. “Travel far, far away, live happily with the family you’ll make…”

“Mommy what about you, are you not going with me? I’m scared.”

Dorothy's tears strolled out from her swollen eyes, yelling, “Am I going to do nothing again!?”

Another shout came from the forest, but this time it was a threat, “Subject number 856 come out right now and show yourself. If you don’t, we’ll burn this forest, with you and your daughter in it.”

Dorothy continued, “How many times am I going to repeat this in my head, and see it all unfold again!?”

The mother replied, “Mommy will meet you there.”

Dorothy bit her lips and clenched her fists, proclaiming her newfound courage, “No! No! I won’t run away anymore! I’ll reach her!”

As the mother and daughter ran to opposite sides, Dorothy chased after the mother. Taking out a knife, the mother was ready to lay down her life for her daughter.

Dorothy then felt a great pressure pulling her away from the mother and toward the daughter. Sadly, while this occurred, Dorothy couldn’t help but think – It’s quite ironic, isn’t it… the person who knew everything, ran towards her own death, and the other, oblivious to all, managed to live another day, albeit a sorrowful o-

Dorothy's thoughts came to a halt as she was stunned to see the mother turn around, and heard her softly say, "Don't look back, I promise… I'll see you again."

She stretched her hand and fought the impending force, drawing closer to the mother, no, her mother, but just as Dorothy was about to reach her, the dream abruptly ended.

As this unfolded, and before the dream came to an end, the dark and stormy clouds split apart, and blue clouds came to replace them. The odor of earthy-musty whiff and dampness which follows a storm was suddenly gone as a powerful gust of wind blew them away. The sun then came rising from the depths of the rain, shining above, producing an exquisite rainbow and a gorgeous sight.

Which turned the horrible and terrible scene into some sort of… art. It revealed the actual colors of the world, a world where fate rules everything and helpless individuals like us can achieve nothing. It appears to be corrupted, this world, being unable to decide your own fate.