Pierced Heart

As few drops of blood splattered on the wooden floor , preceded by a cough .

She was waiting for the banging shut of the front door .

" I'm sorry . " Nova apologized profusely but there wasn't much time to get the plan into action , once she had received a sign that her sister was going to be alright - judging by her eyes full of strength - she decided to snoop around in Amanda's room .

It had been a while , she had forgotten what the inside of the room looked like . Her mother really despised if anyone came in , including the twins . They didn't dare to bother her drunken nights in this room .

Nova pushes through the messy floor , kicking aside bottles and holding her breath to endure the stench radiating from them . It didn't take long before she found exactly what she was looking for . Lying on the side table , beside a few bottles was a small shiny device . It went into her pocket .

Knowing that it wasn't all that they needed , she reaches for the purse and finds a few hundred dollar bills in them .

' She had this much and still let us starve . ' She thought to herself , gritting her teeth with annoyance . From this moment on she decided to never refer to this woman as her mother . She took all the bills but one and carefully placed them in her zipped pocket .

Thinking it was a smart thing to take something warm for the night , she grabs a duffle bag from Amanda's closet , intending to put in the blanket , magazine and the box of cookies inside .

Nora watches curiously as the elder silently prepares the things , even adding a few clothes in the bag . Her battered body made it difficult to even stand but she made do somehow . Placing her hand on the kitchen top , she lends it's support to stand straight .

" Do you need anything else ? " Nova asks , scanning the room cautiously . They didn't have much to take with them , so packing didn't take a lot of time .

Nora shakes her head , moving forward slowly in pain . Her face however , remains plain and devoid of any indication . A tissue in her hand , she wipes away the blood on her mouth along with the trickling from her nose .

For a second , Nova watches and flinches in her stead , feeling sorry for the pain she had to endure . She felt that she should have never allowed her to do it .

Bringing her attention back to the phone , she sighs with relief when she notices that it isn't secured with a passcode . Now all she has to do is , d******d the GPS app so they can navigate their way out of this hidden town safely .

Going alone , they would never get far . Especially since there were a lot of forest greenery at a distance from the town . There wasn't anything for miles or at least that is the most they could observe since they hadn't tried venturing further into the unknown .

" The highway goes on for 7 kilometres . " She whispers in disappointment . At a walking distance it could easily take about 2 hours , perhaps even more .

" Then we should get going . " Nora suggests and with a nod , she lifts the duffel bag . The girls are at the door , reaching out for the knob , before it opens slowly by itself .

" Fuckin forgot my phon- " Amanda's slurred words were cut mid sentence when she noticed the sight in front of her .

Fear coursed through the twins' veins . This wasn't part of the plan . It was a low possibility , when Amanda goes to the pub she rarely ever comes back this early . However , she had felt the sudden urge to drunk dial one of her customers for some extra money .

After all , it was easy to ignore faces and feelings when she was drunk . It was easy to be embraced when she wouldn't remember anything the next day , though her pocket would be full of a wad of cash .

" What's going on here ? " She observed the duffel bag in one of Nova's hands and the phone in the other .

The girls expected her immediate reaction to be that of Mount Tambora , a deadly volcanic eruption that would ensue chaos and engulf anyone in it's vicinity with it's hot searing magma . To their surprise , she opens the door and calmly sways to the kitchen .

Amanda was trying to get over her initial shock . No matter how she had treated the girls , she felt that they would always be with her . After a disgusting day with the clients , she had someone at home . They may not be waiting for her , quite the opposite was more likely , but they would still be there . The thought was always in Amanda's mind .

Though she had hated them every moment since her husband died . It suddenly struck her that being alone was more unsettling .

Now both of them were trying to leave ?

If only one of them were alive , she wouldn't have the guts to even think of leaving - according to Amanda . Her thought process was irrational and sudden but there were many voices swirling in her head , many figures dancing in front of her eyes , convincing her that she was doing the right thing .

At least this way , she wouldn't be alone .

The twins were frozen in their places with fear , what should they do if they run and she starts yelling after them ? Would neighbors gather and block their path ?

Nova instantly started calculating the risks against the facts and there was one thing she knew for sure . If they didn't leave now , they would never get another opportunity to do so again . She doubted they could catch her off guard twice .

And not to speak of what she would do to them after the little stunt they just pulled .

With a knife in her palm , hidden behind her back , Amanda slowly walks towards the girls , genuinely surprising them with an unfamiliar smile .

" I'm not angry . " She assures them , lowering their guard . Nova knew better than to trust her but she could tell that her sister was getting swayed with her words .

" I'm sorry I hurt you and I understand why you want to leave . But I love you , I was just teaching you a lesson . " Though the volume of her voice significantly softens , the tone and richness didn't contain one bit of sympathy . It was as piercing as ever .

Amanda stands in front of Nora , causing her to walk backwards slowly , her heart stuck in her throat .

" Nora ! " There wasn't much time to think or move when Amanda brought out the knife , the most Nora could do was move backwards .

Nova's instincts , however , were slightly more refined than the younger's , she puts herself in between , crying out as she feels the knife slicing from in between her 4th and 5th ribs . It aimed upward towards her heart .

Initially it felt just like pressure to her and nothing else . High pressure , until it molded into a hot searing pain .

Nora didn't think , she didn't cry nor did she shout out . She simply slipped behind as Amanda registered the thought of stabbing her own daughter . Though she had planned for it , shock coursed through her body at the execution of her plan .

Grabbing an empty glass bottle from the kitchen , Nora stands behind her mother .

With shaking hands , she tightens her grip and brings it up with an aim . Putting all of her strength into it , she smashes it against her head . There was a sudden painful gasp before she tumbled backwards onto the floor , bleeding out on it .

She doesn't know if she killed her , in fact she hadn't yet understood the concept of what death meant . According to her , death meant someone wouldn't be around you anymore . Nothing else came to her .

" Just leave . At least one of us should make it out of here " Nova's eyes shut down with pressure in response to the pain .

" We can make it . " Her hand places itself on the handle of the knife , still lodged into her body but Nova shakes her head , indicating her not to take it out .

With a slight nod , she puts Nova's arm around her shoulder and puts the duffel bag on her other shoulder .

It was a quiet morning , there wasn't a lot of hustling . Occasionally someone passed them by and stared at their limping bodies , a foreign object sticking out of one's torso but they didn't make an effort to offer them help . Nora was already battered but she managed to bear the weight of her sister , knowing that it wouldn't be possible to get through this if she let down her strength even the slightest .

She endured the pain , just as her sister endured the same for different reasons .

" It says we're out of the town . " Nora says with a strained voice as she observes the highway ahead . It had already been 30 minutes of walking and every inch of her body was burning with exhaustion from carrying the elder . As she noticed the progressive unresponsiveness from her , she became more determined to keep moving forward .

Nova's steps become less balanced and she almost tumbles forward . It took everything in Nora's strength to keep her upright .

" Just a little more . " It was a lie . They had only begun walking on the highway and the total distance to the next town from here was about 7 miles . On a drive it might take someone around 15 - 20 minutes to get there depending on their speed , however , it was no easy feat to walk there while carrying your injured sister , it would take much longer . Especially since she was injured herself .

" I can't " Nova's voice slurred painfully .

Though the knife was still lodged in her body , ensuring that an unnecessary amount of blood wouldn't flow out , decapitating her from all senses and sending her into a volumic shock , nevertheless every time she moved just a little more blood would be spill out .

It's common knowledge that one shouldn't move in such a situation and stay still , waiting for the medics . Moving would cause a shift in the position of the lodged object thereby permitting more blood loss and more internal damage than previously .

Alas , they had no choice but to keep moving forward .

With a wrong step , Nova stumbled forward . This time , Nora was too exhausted to keep her standing , she did the best she could at ensuring the fall wasn't on her front and wouldn't alter the position of the knife .

Nora fell along with her , placing a hand under her head .

She felt a stinging burn on her knees , knowing she had possibly scraped them up bad on the road .

" Nova .. " She shook her sister's shoulder , receiving no response in return .

As she saw in the movies , she looks at her eyes by moving the eyelids with 2 fingers . The eyes were turned upwards .

" Wake up . " She shook her once again .

She knew in her gut that if she didn't go to a doctor now , she wouldn't survive .

Nora had never believed in God , in this moment she found herself praying for help . For some reason, bright grey eyes came to her mind and she was suddenly reminded of the dark stranger who had lent her the umbrella. 

An unfamiliar sound struck her ear , it was getting louder with each passing second .

She brought her hand as a shade above her eyes to see clearly , the source of the sound . A machine was driving towards her .

Though she had never seen one in real life before , she knew from the movies what it was . It was a truck .

That meant someone would be inside it .