Next chapter is up! For anyone who actually reads this story

"Ashley..." Helen muttered as words failed her, despite knowing that in this weird future her daughter was apparently evil she could not help feeling that bubble of joy that she was not dead.

"I know that I'm the last person in the world you want to see," Ashley explained taking a slight step towards her and instantly falling weakly to her knees clutching at her arm and side, which Helen realized was slick with blood, "but... I have nowhere else to go."

Not caring whether or not Ashley was a killer, Helen immediately knelt by her daughter's side and pressed her hands against the fresh wound. It was still bleeding, she felt the sticky liquid pouring from Ashley's side which she tried to put pressure on, not able to do much else considering she could barely see anything in the darkness.

"If I go to a hospital... he'll just find me... and kill me," Ashley continued fighting to get the words out, Helen realized she'd lose conciousness soon from lack of blood, "so if someone's going to kill me... I'd rather it be you."

"Who did this to you?" Helen asked numbly.

"Who do you think?" Ashley barked back before softening her tone, "I'm sorry Mom..." the words slurred and trailed off as she succumbed to unconciousness.

Forcing away the slight jolt of panic that she might have to watch her daughter die, again, Helen lay Ashley gently onto the ground and tried to inspect the injury to her arm and side. They appeared to be clean cuts, made by a knife or possibly a claw, something sharp at any rate. Helen squinted through the darkness looking for anything she could use to stop the bleeding when the lights came back on as quickly as they had died they resurged and she had to blink at its abrupt return.

"Mom!" Nick yelled and she saw him running towards her, "are you alrigh- oh no."

He stopped instantly in his tracks when he noticed Ashley, he gazed at his sister aghast which seemed to lose focus as if he was remembering something.

"Nick!" Helen called and he seemed to snap out of it, still looking caught between terror and shock he grabbed her and pulled her away.

"Stay away from her," Nick whispered fearfully, "she'll kill you."

"She's not even concious!" Helen protested shaking free of his grip, "I need to get her to the infirmary, we need to stop the bleeding."

"No," Nick retorted, the badly masked fear in his voice making him suddenly sound so young, "she'll kill you."

"She'll die if we don't help her," Helen informed as firmly as she could manage, "you can either help or stand there but I am not going to let my daughter die."

For a second she didn't know whether he'd help her not, she just gazed into his sapphire eyes feeling slightly guilty at the pain immersed in their depth but he seemed to trust her and nodded.

"Okay," he agreed barely loud enough for her to hear, "I'll get her a stretcher."