Episode 1: A Guardian

-Edited-

AVA's POV

"Mother!"

I gasp as I perch from the lying position. My head feels heavy from the dream-like situation. "Tsk... It hurts..." I complained hitting my head, attempting to unclog my ringing ears.

It feels like I've just awakened from death...

"Mother..?" I whisper. I just can't help addressing her a bit softly due to my painful throat. That is when I palm my face after reminding myself of her death.

'Ah right, she isn't going to answer my call...' The death won't answer. I felt stupid for calling her and expecting a reply.

I rub my eyes to get a better vision from the blurriness. "It's dark in here" Maybe we died together because of the explosion? Am I in hell?

I shake my head and stands from the ground. To be more precise a place fills with stars reflected into the watery floor.

"Where in the hell this water comes from!?" I sternly yelled.

Flicking off the water from my hair I set myself straight and adjust my now wet laboratory coat. This coat is supposed to be my favourite one and now it is blended with stinky blood and also damped...

Great!

Maybe because of the constant cleaning and discipline at the base, I started to think a lot about cleanliness and it might have been a case of OCD since I was raised by one. It's weird when I am only concern when it comes to this kind of thing...

My aunt was in a serious case of OCD to the point where she needs to wear gloves everywhere and there will always be spare gloves inside her bag.

Every time she touches something that is not yet cleaned by her own hands, it only lasts 5 to 10 minutes before she changes to another set of clean gloves.

This makes it hard for us, especially when going out to enjoy life within the base. Mostly, we only stay at home and it'll be me who went out for groceries and stuff.

Her case starts when both of her parents died in the early times of the Apocalypse. What can you do when both of your parents died because of the same virus. One will eventually become obsessed with getting rid of them.

Now, I am one of those people too.

After a while of arranging and forcing myself to wash the remaining blood. I let out a satisfying smile,  impressed with myself. Even if I am not dry, at least I am not red and reeks of rotten corps.

Now that I have come to my sense, I noticed that there is nothing in here.

As in nothing...not even a soul?

My eyebrows quirked as I jump around the space. A few calls for mother escape my lips as I look into the dark starry sky. Since this place might be the After Death, I should just search for my mother and maybe she would hear me...

And here I thought that I would meet mother again after dying. I guess not. I am more than just a jerk, isn't it?

Just thinking of that makes me feel like crying. Am I really this much of a crybaby? I guess 'tears' has been an uncommon thing for me and learning it after a long time might have a big impact on me.

I have never seen or known tears for years. The people in the base are all arrogant and selfish people. Maybe it's a human trait to treat the rich as their muse and the poor such as lonely poles in the street.

'Crying just make you weak and people will look down on you! Even if you are sad, puts up a brave face and speak back! Let them know who is in charge... Always remember this, Ava...'

That is what my aunt told me. She is an extraordinary woman. Even if the world turns its back on me, she will never do the same thing and I am sure of that.

Sadly, she didn't have a long life to live. When I am 12 she died from a fourth stage cancer and left me to face the harsh world alone.

Though I don't hate her for that, she already has given me a lot of skills to protect myself from any harm. She is the only source that entices me to live my life despite having been looked down upon.

[TEERRETTT]

A strange sound caught my ears which inevitably makes me flinch. That is when I realised that this place is filled with a mass amount of data. It is like standing in the middle of raining green numbers. They were falling endlessly creating a bizarre scene that caught me pensive!

The raining data ultimately compressed with each other and a blinding light is created from the friction. I blocked the light from entering my eyes, but am still curious about what is emerging from it.

Is it the grim ripper? Or, An angel?  

Out of the two things, there is nothing I can think of. Unexpectedly, it was nothing like I speculated.

'That thing is a freaking doll?'