Chapter 8:

In front of her, lay her own mother with a blade ready to make a laceration across Amire's throat. "Did you miss me?" Zoey's eyes widened more as the voice in her head returned.

"So you hear it too?" Zoey looked over to her mother. She didn't look so different. She was older, had more gray hair and most importantly... her arm was missing. Zoey's mother followed her gaze as she finally noticed what shocks Zoey the most. "Oh this? The voice told me to do it. The only way is to try and get rid of it." She gave an awkward laugh, but it was clear to see how sad it was.

"Wait." Amire pushed the woman back before speaking. It was clear she was trying to make a good impression, and was failing every way possible. "What voice?"

"The voice, y'know. The thing that makes us go crazy." Zoey looked the other way in fear of exposure. She didn't want Ami to know, not now, not ever.

"Zoe, are you... okay? And why haven't you told me this?" Zoey's mouth ran dry. Truth was she didn't have an answer. But she opened her mouth to speak anyway.

"I-"

"Oh god," The sound of her mother screaming caused the other to delay their argument. "Why are you here? Leave me alone!" She placed her hand over her ears just like Zoey had done many times before. "No! Not again! Please." Zoey looked around for something to help her.

"What can I do to help?"

"The medicine. I have some medicine in the bathroom." Her hand shivered as she gave the girl direction. Zoey only gave a slight nod as she went to retrieve the thing that could somewhat help them both. I have to help her. I have to ask her why, why did she leave? Zoey curses to herself as she grazes her hand across some glass in a drawer. Dammit, where is it? Zoey began to vigorously look through the different cabinets. Nothing.

"Hey mom!" She yelled through the hallway, but no one answered in response. "Mom! Mom!" Still nothing.

"They're there somewhere sweetie keep looking." Hearing her mom's voice calmed her from her once tense mood. Keep looking? I've looked through the entire room. There's nowhere else to look. Unless... Just then, a collective amount of thoughts rooted itself into her mind.

"Oh crap." Zoey slammed the mirror door closed as she ran to check on Amire.

"Oh, did you find it?" Although she was speaking, the mother's body didn't turn from the newly delivered corpse on the floor. Oh no, this was all my fault! I did this. Zoey's body stood still. She couldn't process what's in front of her. Amire was just here, breathing, alive... scared. Untrusting. Confused. Sad. Tears of sadness began to swell in her eyes.

"Mom."

"Zoe," Her body finally began to move. Blood from the throat-slit girl stained her hands as she spoke. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know you didn't," Zoey slowly maneuvered herself over to the center of the room. She wanted to look at her feet to make sure she wasn't stepping in blood, but training her eyes on the animal seemed more important. "But you did."

"So what does this mean?" Both of their eyes focused on each other's weapons. Mom wouldn't hurt me, right? She wouldn't. Her grip tightened. Truth was she would. She killed Amire, granted she didn't know her, but then again, she didn't know Zoey. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her mother's movements.

"What in the world are you doing?" Her breath became shakier, she didn't want to hurt her mother, why couldn't she see that?

"I've gotten through so much, I'm not gonna let you kill me." Before Zoey could comfort her, the swing of her blade went across her arm. You crazy bi- Zoey backed up so she could make space to fight back.

"What is wrong with you!" Feeling a guilty stone in her body, she swung her knife as much as she could. The mother dodged the blade, but not before slipping on the blood that she spilled herself. Zoey closed her eyes not to see her mother bashing her head against the counter.

Bang!

When Zoey opened her eyes she saw her mother gasping for whatever breath she had left. Zoey wanted to run and comfort her, but refrain from doing so. Zoey took note of how the crimson liquid ran from the back of her head to the rusted counter that supported it. For the next few minutes, Zoey watched as her mom gasped for life. Surprisingly, she didn't feel anything. No sadness, no remorse. Nothing.

"I," The dying woman struggled to get one word out of her mouth before resting for the final time. Zoey didn't know whether she was going to say "I love you" or anything else that a selfish woman would say. Still holding the knife she held, Zoey began to make her way out the house.

"Maybe it's time to go." That was the last thing she said before getting in her car and leaving everything behind.