Following this girl back to the tent felt like the walk of shame. Now that I went slowly, I couldn’t help but notice that every eye was on me. No doubt they saw me as irrational, or even too emotional for my own good. But they are not the ones that suddenly lost their hearing.

The girl didn’t say much after that, seemingly understanding that even if she spoke until her tongue ran dry, I wouldn’t be able to properly respond to any inquiries. I could notice her gaze landing on me a few times, though, as she extended her sympathy, as if she had not had any playing hand on killing all those synths mercilessly.

Entering the tent, I could barely react when I felt Mrs. Donovan hug the air out of my lungs. I huffed, but did not made a move to push her away. After all, the gesture may comfort her more than me.

I didn’t want to sit at the bed next to my mother, who now seemed to be having peaceful dreams, so I sat at one of the plastic chairs they had at the entrance. Trying to not pay much attention to the murderers that still hung out in the tent, I focused completely on Mrs. Donovan. She grabbed the notebook and pen that the weird minutegirl was handing out to her and set out to write.

I’m sorry, Momo. I was a little careless with what I said. Yeah, no . Sometimes I forget you’re still a child. Now, that was offensive.

I wanted to reply, but she raised her hand, effectively shutting me up. I mean, if my health is completely in her care, the least I could do is hear her out.

Well, I know it senseless to tell you that you might never recover your hearing, but it is the most likely scenario. In your case, being too close to the explosion without any protection was a grave mistake.

“And so what?” I said, bitterness filling up my voice, choking my chest with rightful anger. “Am I going to live like this? Like this useless, piece of who cannot do anything because she is…” I stopped, feeling something lodge in my throat. Mrs. Donovan seemed taken aback by my words.

No, no, Momo. Don’t talk about yourself like that!

“And why can’t I? I have never been useful to you or even to my mother here at all. The only hope that I ever had of having any use, of helping anybody is gone! Like this, I’m just a useless burden.” Mrs. Donovan looked at me for a moment, her eyes full of sadness.

You can do something! You can help with the plantations!

I’m rolled my eyes, my heart almost exploding in anger. As much as I tried to hide the feelings of despair back at the river, when I let my heart and body run as much as it wanted, I couldn’t do it. Not here, not when I’m confronting this reality, where I’ll never leave this ing place.

I felt a hand lay on my shoulder. Cracking my neck upside, I was met with the minutegirl who had brought me here. Feeling so much, the bomb exploded.

“Don’t ing touch me,” I growled menacingly, pushing her hand away. I stood, suddenly filled up with a bravado I didn’t have moments ago, and looked for the first time at the people who were gazing at me with ing pity. “It’s all your fault!” I pointed at them accusingly, “You came uninvited to some ing abandoned place just to destroy some synths that weren’t doing ! It’s because of you, that I’ll be like this!”

The girl whose I hand I had pushed away looked at me with hurt in her eyes, clearly being affected by my words. Instead of feeling bad, it gave me a twisted gladness, to see that my words had their intended effect on someone.

Mrs. Donovan grabbed my arm, clearly intending for me to stop. I could not, and it was only a pile of expletives I could not remember since the moment they left my mouth. It was everything rolling up in a ball of questions, of hatred I could only feel for people like them, who had destroyed our world. It was not after a moment that I felt a sudden tiredness that closed my eyes immediately. I tried fighting it, but to no avail.

I felt someone guiding me somewhere, I don’t know where. I felt like falling on a very soft surface that, for some reason, seemed very appealing to me now. It was as if I was being absorbed by a calmness that was unexplainable. Only when that calmness settled in, did I close my eyes.

--

I felt a hand seize my throat with an almost supernatural strength. Clawing pathetically, I could only give out strangled sobs that asked for liberation. Ears roaring and vision blackening could not stop the realization that only made me panic more. It was her! She was hurting me, killing me slowly with her hands, a disfigured expression that I could now distinguish more. It hurt me more than the hands that were cutting the oxygen my body was screaming for.

Anger, hatred burning in her eyes. However, I could notice a weird glaze over them, as if she was in a trance. That was it! She had to be in a trance, wasn’t she? It was the only explanation I could have for her expression and her hurtful actions. Being her the only thing I could feel and see, I choked out the only words I could think of.

Mommy, it’s me, Momo!

I repeated this phrase over and over, hoping it would reach her. At some point, I felt that I was beginning to just blubber, and my hands now laid limply at my sides. I could only hope that mother would wake up.

Suddenly, like water in a dessert, my lungs filled with air. I coughed, feeling the rush of it in my now burning throat. Arms wrapped around my body and my ears buzzed with cries.

I’m sorry, Momo! Mommy is sorry.

I could only nod pathetically, not feeling anything else but fear that this would be a dream and I was already dead.

Mommy thought you were those evil men! I’m sorry, Momo!

I nodded endlessly, finally hugging mommy, hoping it was all real. Had they done this to Mommy? Had they changed her in this angry person who had hurt me?

They were bad, bad people.

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Hello, BigDinosaur here! I hope that you like this little chapter, which I honestly liked a lot more than the last one. Now that you are seeing more Momo's motivations, I think you'll be seeing more of our dear squirrel. Thanks for subscribing, upvoting and commenting! See ya