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DAHLIA “Honey?” “Wake up. It’s time to go, Dahl.” Mom…? Vi? They’re both standing in a blindingly white distance, their shadows spilling on the ground, but not touching my feet. Blood gushes from Mom’s forehead, slides down her arm, and slithers onto her hand that’s holding Vi’s. My dad appears on Vi’s right and takes her other hand in his disfigured, bloodied one. I step forward, but I’m jolted in place by invisible chains, unable to move. They walk in the distance, their tall, distorted shadows retreating until I can only see their backs and the blood trails left behind. Drip. Drip. Drip. “Where are you going?” I scream, tears cascading down my cheeks. “Come back. Don’t leave me alone. You promised, Vi!” They come to a halt and Vi looks back, her face pale, eyes sunk in, her hair having lost its shine. She looks like a ghost of herself with crimson blood dripping from her delicate fingers. A version of Vi I don’t recognize. Broken-down. Decimated. “Goodbye, Dahlia.” “No…no…” “Wake up