Story 349: Beneath the Mask

Zara stared, frozen, as the apparition of her mother stood before her. The white void around them felt suffocating in its stillness, but her mother’s face—serene and untouched by the horrors of the apocalypse—seemed impossibly real.

“Mom?” Zara’s voice wavered, barely above a whisper.

Her mother smiled gently, the kind of smile that once lit up their tiny home before the world had turned dark. “You’ve carried so much, my Zara. Too much. But now, it’s time to face what you’ve buried deep inside.”

Zara’s grip on the mask tightened as her heart hammered against her ribs. “This isn’t real. You’re not real.”

The figure stepped closer, her presence warm yet overwhelming. “I’m as real as the pain you’ve carried. You’ve built walls to survive, but every lie you’ve told yourself has trapped you further. Let go, my love.”

“No!” Zara snapped, stepping back, her boots scraping against the void’s invisible floor. “I’ve fought to survive. I’ve done what I had to. None of this is a lie!”