Final Breath

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The Tea was terrible.

Clearly his mother had done something to it, though he couldn't quite guess what it was, it simply tasted horrendous. It was sweet and bitter at the same time, and under the layer of bitterness was the distinct taste of iron. The same taste when you lick blood.

The hot tea slightly burned his tongue and throat as he swallowed his first sip. It left the nerves in his mouth tingly and it began to make swallowing his saliva uncomfortable. He had to use immense self control in order to keep his face at the same level of calmness and indifference he usually had.

Slowly, he set down the tea cup and picked up a slice of mango. Internally, he hoped the mango would help cool down his burning mouth.

"Well, how was it?"

"Perfect as always. I have no complaints."

He fought to keep his voice leveled and calm, fearing his internal hate and disgust would spill if he got careless. It was always a gamble when he messed up in front of mother. Sometimes she would ignore the insult and smile it off. On other occasions, however, she would throw a fit and break one thing or another. But, Cain was always glad she had never hit him.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. It's been too long since we last had tea together. Much less as a family."

She had yet to touch her tea. She simply sat there and watched Cain eat the snacks she had prepared.

Cain gave her a slight smile and restrained his hands from picking up the mango bowl and shoving the whole bowl down his throat. The heat was becoming a little more intense for his liking.

It was sudden and intense.

Out of nowhere, a throbbing pain came into existence inside his head. Like thousands of knives stabbing and punching the hell out of him. His calm demeanor faded instantly, replaced by a look of pure horror and pain. Confusion stained his face, 'What's happening? Why does this hurt so much? What's going on?', are a few of the many thoughts racing through his brain.

Once the pain refused to settle down, Cain fell out of his chair. It was quickly becoming more than he could bear. Clutching his head, he began wriggling on the floor like a worm, slowly losing control of his body's movements. Everything was blurry and throbbing, it was all becoming too intense for him to understand. All he knew was that it hurt like hell.

Eventually, he threw up. His body was attempting to rid itself of the poison, but it was too late.

Slowly, almost tauntingly, his mother walked over to him. She knelt down and picked his head up from the floor and placed him on her lap.

Like a caring mother, she began to stroke his hair. With a slight grin on her lips, she opened her mouth to speak.

"My sweet, sweet little Liebling (darling). You thought you were so clever, hiding your distaste and hatred with fake smiles."

She giggled as her skeletal fingers twirled a lock of his hair. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, almost as though she was lost in thought. Not completely present.

Of course, Cain couldn't hear anything she was saying as he had begun to fade from consciousness. Little bits and pieces were clear, but most of what she said faded into the mass of black.

'Ah, so it was mother. I wonder how many people are killed by their own mother. The same person who brought them into the world, how tragic.'

'You dumbass! After years of neglect did you really think she would suddenly care? That she was so kind to even prepare tea for you?'

He began to scream internally. How could he have been so naïve? Perhaps he had forgotten what kind of person his mother was. Or how things worked in this house. Whatever it was that convinced him it was a good idea to follow her, he hated.

Cain's face began to turn ugly colors of blue and purple. His eyes turned bloodshot and his face was dripping with vomit. Tears started running down his cheeks as he cried tears of frustration, anger, and fear.

'I don't want to die! Would she really kill me? Have I really been such an inconvenience to her? A threat?'

He shuddered at the thought of dying. What person wouldn't? He was literally at death's door, just one step and it was the end of him. That was it, death was the end. Eternal rest.

Cain's tears intensified as he realized he missed out on so many things in life. He never had a girlfriend, never had sex, never gotten a job, and he was never going to be able to kill his mother. His revenge was useless, he would be dead and she would continue living her pathetic existence.

It frustrated him beyond belief.

All these thoughts echoed through his mind as he took his last breath. He felt the world close around him, he felt the air leave his lungs, and he felt the cold touch that reverberated throughout his entire being.

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