TW: Some gore, death
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"When you die, my love, you rise into the night," my mother told me when I asked her what happens when you die.
I smiled when she kissed me goodnight, knowing one day I'd be in the stars.
My mother was a strong woman. Strong enough to serve as the commander of our colony. Our bond was even stronger.
She taught me not only how to walk but how to fight. How to protect myself during times of unrest and civil war. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I wanted to lead our colony to greatness together.
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Crash.
"Everybody out of the vehicle! Move, move, move!"
Our squad hurried out of the cramped vehicle in waves, clutching our weapons to our chest. Some soldiers barely made it out of the car before being blown to dust. Me and the rest of my squad hurried to find cover in the mounds of dirt.
We found ourselves at war with one of the best Kravesi colony in the ranks. Nobody could keep up with them as they were getting stronger and stronger.
Somehow, I thought we could win this war as I looked up at the machine my mother was piloting.
Boom!
A projectile hit our mound of dirt and almost hit me. I grunted, forcing myself up and moving to the next mound of dirt. I peeked out from the side and shot someone down, then quickly recoiled back.
"We're practically cornered, boss!" the heavy defense guy shouted, out of breath.
"We have to fall back, Les!" another girl said, a bullet just brushing the top of her head. "We're never going to make it out alive unless we get out of here!"
I shot another guy in the chest. "We'll never make it to the stars if we fall back. Either we win, or die trying!" I spat, wiping dirt off my face. I checked my mother's machine. It was in a direct fight with another machine.
"I like the sound of that!" the heavy defense shouted. He stood up and practically screamed like a maniac as he moved to another spot.
He got shot on his way there.
The girl looked at me with tears falling down her dirty face. "I'm not ready to go yet, Les. I don't want to die!"
Her head got shot, spraying me with her blood. My eyes widened as I quickly turned to see where the bullet came from. Probably thought he was slick. I screamed, but nobody could hear me in the chaos of war. I shot the guy back, making him fall limp.
I turned back to my lost friend for a moment. Half her head was gone and blood was pooling out. I don't have time for sadness.
As the main attacker, I now had no defense. My team was dead and I was all alone. As I crouched while running, friends I used to know were getting shot dead and falling like rocks to the ground. More and more people were dying.
I looked up at my last gleam of hope. Mother. She was cornered by the same machine. But before the last strike, the machine took a step back, facing the colonies' main machine.
My heart almost broke when I realized what was about to happen.
"No!" I screamed, "No!" I knew my pitiful screams weren't doing anything but I continued.
The colonies' machine prepared a level A bomb, heating up and glowing green.
I dropped my weapon and ran towards mother's machine. "Mother! Mother no!" My voice cracked and tears streamed down my face when I saw a bomb hit mother's machine.
Her machine didn't fall gracefully. It created a heavy stream of dust as multiple limbs fell and she caught on fire.
It then blew up.
I watched my mother's machine, something we made together, burst into flames. My legs finally gave and I sat in the dirt.
My hands pounded the ground as I knew the fire was creeping closer and closer. My mother was gone.
"Just shoot me!" I shouted. "Somebody shoot me!"
The machine that mother was fighting with turned and looked at me like I was nothing but a flea.
"Kill me!" I continued.
Because I could never stand living in a world where mother was not with me.
My body forcefully lurched to the side. I realized I got hit when blood seeped over my eyes.
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I woke up in nothing but a thin dress. Below me was water. Above a beautiful night sky.
Did I really make it? Am I in the stars?
"Mother?" I asked, my voice echoing. I was still crying. "Mother, are you here?"
I saw an angelic figure walking toward me, with open arms and a melancholic smile on her face. "I'm here, Leslie."
I gasped, and ran toward her, burying my face in her neck as she pat my back.
"Come with me, there's a lot I have to show you."
"How long was I gone for?" I asked, thinking it'd only been 5 minutes since I died.
"Time moves much slower here than it does in our world. Come. Come with me."
She led me on as we walked through the stars.
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