Red…everything was red…and cold. Pale white on red. Icy veins dripping on a cold floor, painting the room scarlet. The red began to spread, flowing across the floor in a dark smear…reaching for more blood…blood less fresh from colder veins. Raven hair like a paintbrush dipped in the darker red. Black on crimson. Young and old, like decay darkening it all. The whole world emptying of light and warmth. Except for the red. The last image he saw was the blood.
The first image he saw was his own. Smiling as he posed for the Junior Karate National Championship. "Smile. Always smile." His mom had told him. "People love a smiling little boy." Yes, smiles got him hugs, pats on the head, and candy. So he always smiled.
The only person who had never smiled back had been his sensei. Sensei never smiled, and had told him not to. "You should only smile when you're happy." But Loki was always happy, so he continued to smile.
Today, nobody else was smiling. Candles let the entire room, and his parents stood in front of an alter with a bald man in black robes. The man was chanting strange words that seemed to make his mom cry louder.
Loki moved moved to stand in front of her and smiled up at her. "Mama!" He called, holding out both hands for a hug. But his mom didn't react. Annoyed, Loki shouted louder. "MAMA!!" Still no reaction. Stomping his foot, Loki grabbed his mom's arm to make her pay attention, but his hand moved right through her. Frowning at it, he began to reach out with his other hand, his right hand, but when it came into sight, he paused.
It was gone, replaced by a chain that hung just a few inches off his arm. Curious, Loki pulled at the short chain, seeing if it would come off. When it didn't, he pulled it to his mouth and bit down as hard as he could. It felt like biting his hand, and pain coursed over him, making his whole body throb. It almost felt like when the butcher knife had first cut into his skin, sinking all the way to the bone, severing nerves, and bringing tears to her eyes. But he had already started, and his mom had always told him to finish what he started.
He did so here too, biting down harder and yanking at it, feeling as if it was yanking out all his insides from his body at the same time. Then an overwhelming pain gripped him, worse than even that time he had broken his leg during practice. It resonated through out his whole body, and brought him to his knees. That seemed to make it worse, his body vibrating faster and faster until it seemed to be breaking apart, shredding itself from the movement. Loki let out one last shriek before his whole being dissipated, his last image mom's broken face.