"Honey, what happened?"

"I lost, ma," I said, my eyes finding a crack in the floor to focus on.

"Oh," She whispered, beginning to cry.

"I'm sorry." I had no more words. Bile filled my throat as my body betrayed me.

The thunder cracked as it must. Ma's cry ceased.

The instigators came forward, prying my eyes open, forcing me to look at the wreck that was my ma.

They had been kind, in a way, I thought. A single clean bullet. In the shock of the moment, I nearly thanked the man hefting the rifle.

The men led me to the next game, where my father was shackled.

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"Honey, what happened?" My mother's face was stricken with sadness and confusion. Her voice shaking with nervousness. "Why am I hear?"

I looked at her, dead in the eyes, tears forming in mine as they seeped down the sides of my face. "They say you either die a hero... Or live long enough to become the villain..." I stood from my throne and slowly walked towards my mother. "I'm so sorry that things had to turn out like this. You weren't supposed to find out this way..."

I got down on one knee, meeting her at eye level. "Sometimes, you have to let the world burn, raze the land, for new life to form and new opportunities to be born... But, I always promised you I'd keep you safe..." I wrapped my arms around my mother and sobbed while looking at the monitor in front of me, showing that all nuclear missile silos were opening and waiting for my command.

"I'm doing this to make the earth safer... To take out the monsters. If I have to become one to do it... So be it... But, promise me... You'll still love me..." I wiped my eyes, then stared at the dead man's switch in my hand. "It's time..." I released my finger on the switch, staring at the screen in silence.

"What're you doing, Amelia?!" My mother cried and pushed me back before turning around and gasping as she stared at the screen. "... Why... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!" She cried out and screamed at me.

"I'm doing this to protect us!!! To start the world anew! They can't hurt us anymore if they're all dead!" I roared back. "They'll never hurt us again..."

"Nuclear missiles launching in t-minus 10 seconds..." The robotic voice said over the loudspeaker

"10...9...8...7...6...5..."

"No! I won't be a part of this!" I watched as my mother got up and tried running to the bunker's exit. But my guards stopped her as her hand rested on the handle.

"You can't stop it, mother. It is too late... I did this... Out of my love for you..." I wiped away the last of my tears. "In a few hundred years, long after we are gone, humanity can start over..."

"4...3...2...1... Missiles are exiting their silos... Nuclear armageddon has begun..."

Everything went quiet. I looked at my mother, I could see that she was screaming and crying, but all I heard was silence...