Sarah's footsteps echoed through the blurry halls as she ran looking for anyone. Stumbling repeatedly, she gave her knees rug burns on the disgusting crusty carpet. It felt like forever before she found her mom hiding in the bathtub; she was covered with empty syringes. She complained in a whisper to her mom.

"I'm really bored mom. Can you take me on a walk?"

Her sandy haired mother sighed and got out of the bathtub. She stood at the sink and stared into the broken mirror crying. Turning to Sarah with tears streaming makeup down her face, she replied.

"Fine, we'll go on a short walk."

Sarah tried to open the door to the bathroom, but she couldn't reach the handle. Her mom scoffed at her, opting to climb out a big window. Sarah followed behind closely.

The plains were covered with fresh mud as far as their eyes could see. Sarah couldn't wait to explore and play in the rain-kissed world. Her mother beside her walked slowly through the thick air, making her impatient. Sarah grabbed her mother's hand and attempted to pull her faster. The woman with no eyes yanked her hand away and slapped her with a scream.

Sarah fell face first onto the wet dirt, sending shockwaves through her nose. Her mother continued screaming at her, and she covered her ears. Her head pounded as her unintelligible words fell upon her like blows, sinking further into the earth with each angry syllable. She continued making violent gestures as Sarah rolled away, the sky spinning into view. The wet ground covered her in the brown slop, staining her clothes and hands.

A mountain grew out of the earth piercing the sky. Sarah ran towards it and the set of metal doors at its base opened. Her mother was inside making lunch at their stove. Baked geckos drenched in gravy; it was her favorite meal. Sarah asked her mom what the occasion was, her mother replied with a kiss.

"Nothing. Just lunch."

The old wallpaper peeled off the kitchen walls in large rolls, exposing the rotting wood underneath. Sarah stared at the naked woman making her food. A man she didn't know walked into the room without clothes on and he grabbed her mom from behind with a laugh. Sarah felt sadness and panic well up inside her stomach. The stove was making the room feel incredibly hot, everything was hazy. Sarah pleaded with her mother.

"Can you please turn off the stove?"

Her mother ignored her and pulled the baked gecko out of the fire. She set it on the table, and the man joined her. There were only two seats, and Sarah was too short to see the top of the table. Sarah pulled off her dress because of the heat. Sweat poured down her filthy body. Her mom scolded her.

"You're making a mess, now you go to your room for the night."

Sarah begged her mother.

"Can I play outside?"

Her mother ignored Sarah, kissing the man across the table. Sarah opened her mouth, but no words could escape. She ran away as fast as her legs would take her down the maze of hallways. Eventually she found the exit outside and opened the door.

The radio outside blared music loudly, she hated her mother's music. The lyrics spoke of angels and love, things she didn't understand. She turned the radio off and kicked it hard enough to break it to pieces. Her bare foot felt sore, so she sat down on a nearby bench. Bobby, a local raven-haired boy she had a crush on, found her in sadness. Sarah's heart raced in her chest when she saw him. He asked her a question.

"Do you want a dog?"

Sarah nodded excitedly. Bobby handed her a dog from his bag, it was so small and soft. Sarah smiled and thanked Bobby. The dog's eyes were glass and it didn't move, but Sarah didn't mind. That sat together for a while, enjoying the sunny day. Bobby's father, Bill, showed up suddenly and dragged Bobby away by his shirt. Bill returned and took the dog as well.

"This isn't yours. Go home and stay home."

He lifted the bench up and shook Sarah off it. Limping home she climbed in a window. She fell in a deep pool of viscous gravy, and she began screaming for her mother to help her. The walls of the house were set on fire, and Sarah didn't know how to swim.

She pushed off the burning walls and found her mom in the kitchen. The man from before was gone, and so was the table. Her mother's clothes were ripped and bloody. Then she stood up and walked towards Sarah. Her forearms had been sliced open, red flowed freely and dripped onto the floor. She grabbed Sarah and spoke earnestly to her.

"Come here, please. No daughter of mine will be a slave. I will not bear the shame!"

She brandished a knife at her and Sarah squirmed free. She fell back into the wall of gravy, waves pouring in more every moment. Bloody corpses floated to the surface, making it difficult to navigate quickly. Her mother chased closely behind, frantically trying to slash her. The room went black, and her mind seared with pain as the world spun. Coldness penetrated her bones and she couldn't run anymore. Sarah was soaked except for her hair, and she was laying down now. Crusty eyelids opened to see a woman she didn't know cutting up food on a table next to her.

Sarah was soaking in a bathtub; the brown liquid came up to her nose. The pungent odor caused her stomach to tumble. Her mouth was stuff with rough rope, binding her. Her arms and legs were tightly bonded in similar ways, she could only squirm slightly. The stranger walked over and dumped a bowl of herbs or spices into the tub. Sarah noticed the woman's belly was enormous, she looked like she had eaten an entire brahmin. The strange women noticed that her captive's eyes were open, and she smiled.

"Oh, you're awake! Wonderful!"

She leaned down and brushed some blonde hair out of Sarah's face. The close proximity allowed Sarah to see the woman's deformed face in horrifying detail. She desperately wanted to look away, but instead she stared into her captor's eyes as the mutant spoke.

"It's been so long since a girl came to our town. We were thinking I'd be in labor before it'd happen again."

She took a ladle off the counter and began stirring the herbs evenly throughout the brown sauce.

"I have not had one since a year past. But the tutahnmong has saved us. You will allow my babies to finally be strong and save us."

She got up and attempted to work on her food preparation. It wasn't long before she paused and began sobbing. She used her sleeves to dry her eyes.

"I've gotten so tired of all my failures. I don't think I could handle it again."

After a few minutes she collected herself and resumed peeling potatoes. Every time she placed a naked spud in a large bucket, a humming tune escaped her throat.

"I know you must be scared my dear, waking up in such a strange place. Be brave though little one!"

She turned and gave a broken toothy grin to Sarah.

"Know that as your meat falls from your bones, you will have saved our whole city. Thank you darling, for everything you offer us."

Sarah's muffled screams didn't carry very far past the thick rope digging into the corners of her mouth.

Has my angel abandoned me after all?