Dianna's pain grew more and more intense. A terrible pain that was slowly leading her to death. She couldn't move and was barely breathing. She was bleeding from her nose, ears and a little from her eyes and mouth. Her body was stiff and her heart felt like it was going to burst. Two paramedics were trying to save her life, between strong swaying movements. They were trying not to lose their composure, although they were talking too loud to each other. Loud enough to be perfectly audible despite the sound of sirens.

Dianna was on her way to the hospital, in an ambulance that never seemed to reach its destination. In the middle of so much hustle and despair, a thought about her mother crossed her mind. "Maybe mom felt something like this before she died? Was it really my fault that she died of a heart attack? Is it true what that nasty old woman said? Am I so selfish that I only think about myself? Is that why no one ever talks to me? Is that why I don't have any friends anymore? Have I always been like that or is it that thing inside me that pushes me to behave that way? I have never felt that I was like that, but that doesn't mean that..."

She remembered the old woman's mocking voice in her head. "You humans, disgust me. Always trying to shirk responsibility. It's always someone else's fault, isn't it?" She also remembered her beloved grandmother's voice. "Karma is inescapable, child. You reap what you sow." Dianna felt a huge wave of regret swallow her up voraciously. "Shit, shit! If I had another chance. I would try to be someone better. I would try to make things right. Although the truth is that don't know how to do it. I've never done anything but make bad choices..."

All at once, she heard again the voices of the paramedics who were trying to save her. One of them, a desperate man unable to prevent the girl's life from slipping through his fingers, was looking at the woman next to the driver. "It's incredible the fortitude you have, madam! You must be very confident that we will save your granddaughter's life! You haven't said a word the whole way. However, I am afraid I don't understand how she can be bleeding like that and have a heart attack at the same time. It's just impossible..."

Dianna felt a strange sensation, beyond understanding that she was going to die. "Grandma's in the ambulance too? But she died years ago! If it's not her, who the hell is coming with us?" Her uncertainty lasted barely a second.

The voice reached her as well. "That's because I have no hope that you will save her, asshole! She'll die yes or yes, no matter what you do."

Dianna recognized the voice, as she felt the cold embrace of death. It was the voice of the old woman-like being who had made her see so many things. "Damned motherf...!"

Incomprehensibly the old woman addressed the ambulance driver, as if he obeyed her. "Now turn to the right Tony. Crash against the gate of that old abandoned house. Our destination is in there. Accelerate! Don't be afraid, Tony. I want you to go all the way into the kitchen."

The other paramedic, the one who was still trying to revive Dianna, shouted in desperation and disbelief. "Tony, Tony! What the hell are you doing, man? Stop, dammit! You're going to kill us! STOP!!!" Dianna felt a tremendous crash that surely smashed the front part of the ambulance. But the second impact was the terrible one.

Only a few tenths of a second later, all the ambulance's instruments flew into the air. Dianna and the two paramedics hit against the front seats, crushing the driver and the old woman. They all flew through the windshield, but never hit the ground. A dense liquid blackness swallowed them up. Suddenly, everything stopped and became pitch black.

For some time; which seemed like hours, Dianna didn't feel, see or hear anything. Likewise, her mind remained blank, although she was aware of it. Finally a strange voice was heard.

"Initializing protocol. Initiating scan and parameter reset. Please wait!" Just as the progress bar was about to start, an alarm went off, and thousands of silver-blue tendrils completely immobilized her. They restrained her tightly, though she couldn't move. Finally, in the midst of the blackness, a dimensional portal opened behind her and something came out.

Very slowly, Dianna began to regain her senses. She slowly opened her eyes and heard someone walking behind her, without being seen. The being emitted strange vibrations, which seemed to came from the beating of its heart. She could tell it was tense and furious. As the seconds passed, she stopped feeling the tremendous vibrations as a 3D image began to form a few steps away, right in front of her. The image had sound. There, the amused laughter of a mother and her three-year-old daughter could be heard.

Dianna was shocked at the sight. In front of her, a woman was playing with her daughter. The girl had a doll with only one arm and almost no hair. The doll had come out of the garbage and didn't look out of place with the rest of the misery in the house. But that didn't seem to matter to them.

They both had a lot of fun pretending they were having an imaginary tea and pastry snack, since they didn't even know what it tasted like. They thought it would be something delicious, just like that. Perhaps because they saw it in a neighbor's public television movies.

Dianna smiled, unaware that tears were streaming down her cheeks again. Especially seeing her mother hugging her and playing with her. Dianna mumbled unconsciously. "Mom."

It had only been three and a half years since she had passed away, but almost fourteen years had passed since that particular moment. She wanted to move forward and embrace her mother's body, but the tendrils were still holding her. Filled with rage, she thought. "Fuck! Let me go!"

Helpless and realizing that she couldn't release herself, she turned her face to see her mother again. But she was gone. She saw only an image of herself, nine years younger. She was on the phone with her mother.

"I have to work late, honey. In the meantime, play with the dolls. Dinner's in the fridge." The little girl was in a much better house, with much better clothes, a bed all to herself and lots of new dolls. Despite of all this, she was not happy. All she wanted was to play with her mother, but that never happened again.

Dianna closed her eyes in grief. "Why were you so worried that we'd stop being poor? I was already happy playing with you. Much happier than I've ever been."

Suddenly, shouts of children were heard. They were insulting her as she walked down the street, dressed in her school uniform. Furious, she opened her eyes and searched for the source of the screams directed at the girl. She didn't wonder who they were. She knew it. She remembered that moment perfectly. In front of the young version of herself, there were six children, screaming and throwing small stones at her. She was whimpering, trying in vain to hold back her tears.

"Even though you no longer live in that pigsty with your fat mother, you are still an outcast. Stay away from us, you filthy pig! We don't want your lice and ticks sticking on us. Dirty rat."

Dianna looked at the boy, recognizing him. She remembered that she had hated him for years. Long years in which he had made her life impossible. She also remembered that, one day, that hateful bastard just disappeared.

Suddenly, a voice that could be heard from everywhere asked. "Tell me! Was that damned child also an obstacle to "your" happiness?". At first, Dianna was taken aback because she couldn't see who was speaking behind her. The tendrils had bound her arms and legs spread apart. Like an X suspended in the air.

After waiting too long, she became angry; but she didn't speak out loud. She just thought. "Damn it! I know my life very well! There is no need to show me all this, or do you find some kind of satisfaction in it?!"

Dianna heard footsteps behind her again. She guessed it must be the scar-covered being the old woman had shown her earlier. Dianna felt less terrified than she had expected. She was expecting a being with a more terrifying voice. Instead, his voice didn't sound like much.

Finally, the being responded. "I understand this is awkward for you child, but please be patient and understand me. I'm supposed to know who you are, but that's not the case."

The being walked until he stood in front of her. It was very strange to see a hooded and scarred being in the middle of those children, frozen like a paused video. The being pointed to the boy who had disappeared.

"Tell me, bastard! Are you trying to please her by killing others? How far did you get? Do you consider this host better than the one I carefully chose for you? Didn't you realize that she's just like all the ones I discarded?"