An hour had passed since Ryuuko and the twins got sucked inside the rift, or so she thought.
They have been walking for who knows how long, taking one slow step at a time, using a long stick that Ruziel found for her, to help support her injured ankle.
Every step, every breath, every cough— everything is painful because of the aching bones in her body, but she pushed through it knowing the importance of getting her twins to safety.
It's quite obvious in her part that they won't be able to walk that far so she has been on a look for a cave or something that they could use to shelter themselves in.
It was difficult though. She would stop every so often to catch her breath, leaning against an overgrowth roof for support.
Each time she stops, Rozia would cling tighter to her, scared and worried.
"Are you okay, mom?" Rozia checked on her again.
The twins have been checking on her ever since they left that fallen tree while they keep apologizing, feeling guilty for getting lost and causing their mother's pain, but she would just shake her head every single time, assuring them that she will be okay.
"I am, baby." She reassured Rozia for the nth time.
She gets that they are worried for her well being, but getting fussed over by seven years old is not nice. She is their mother for God's sake. She can't have them worrying over her when they should be worried for themselves.
As they continued their slow progress through the rift, Ryuuko kept her senses sharp as much as possible, watching out for any signs of alternatives for food or possible shelters.
Due to her forcibly sharpened senses, every snapping twig or rustling leaf makes her heart beat faster because she doesn't know what kind of monsters this rift has.
However, even if she was scared shitless, she tried her best to not let her fear show, knowing her child needed her strength.
Her body would ache and groan with every step forward, but she would only push onward even more, her focus solely on the need to get her children to safety and find something edible to eat.
"Look at those mushrooms, mom!" Rozia squealed in innocent delight when she found a mushroom growing near the three of them, "Can we check it out? I'm hungry, we don't exactly know what we could eat, right?"
Right. Before they were sucked inside the rift, she was cooking something to eat for breakfast.
"I'm so sorry, darling." Ryuuko reached out to pat Rozia in the head with an apologetic tone in her voice, "I should have focused more on cooking instead of doing something else."
"Don't blame yourself, mommy!" Ruziel pouted and crossed his arms, "You were talking to me, if anyone's at fault then it should be me."
The corner of Ryuuko's lips twitched, curling up into a small smile, "No, sweetheart. Mommy's at fault, I can multitask, but didn't do it because mommy wants to focus on you more."
"What's a multitask?" Rozia asked, tilting her head.
"It's something about doing a lot of things at the same time." Ryuuko smiled at her daughter's curiosity, "For example, we are walking while talking right now. That's multitasking."
"We're also looking for something to eat, is it multitasking, too?" Ruziel joined the conversation, "We're not just talking, walking, or looking, but we're also using ourselves to protect each other!"
"Yes, sweetheart." Ryuuko agreed as she ruffled his black hair and reached out for Rozia's hair to ruffle her hair as well, "Good job, my babies. The two of you are very smart."
"We got it from you, mom!" Rozia giggled.
"Yeah, mommy! We got nothing from that stupid man who left us!" Ruziel agreed with his twin sister.
"Don't call people stupid, my love." Ryuuko scolded him with a shake of her head, "Anyways, let's go take a look at that mushroom. I'm also hungry."
The three of them made their way to the mushrooms they found, slowly walking towards it due to Ryuuko's sprained ankle.
"That.. Looks edible..!" Rozia's giggle was forced, a feigned cheerful expression on her face as she poke the mushroom.
Now that they got closer, they could see the molds on the mushroom's head.
Green, black, and purple. If you look closely, you would be able to see that the purple mold is moving towards the green mold, consuming it and turning it into a purple mold.
"Ew." Ruziel sticks his tongue out, making gagging noises as he imitates his father's expression when he sees his ex-wife.
"It's not edible.." Ryuuko pointed out the obvious and frowned, "Come on, let's look for something else, okay?"
"Okay, mom." Ruziel stopped his exasperated gagging noises and beamed at his mother. Truly a mama's boy through and through.
"I hate this, mom." Rozia pouted, her face scrunching up as she walked closer to her mother, "All I see is trees, grass, and these bad mushrooms! If we don't find something to eat soon, you'll die!"
Ryuuko blinked at her daughter's worries before a worried expression crossed her face, "I won't die though. I'm strong and can live for two days without eating anything."
"But grandma said that if we don't eat, we will die!" Rozia started to tear up, looking down on her mother's sprained ankle. The sight alone made her tears fall uncontrollably.
"You're hurt and we don't have food to keep you alive! You're going to leave us here!" Rozia cried out.
"No, darling. I won't leave you two—" Ryuuko's stern response to her daughter's worries was promptly cut off when something growled in the distance.
The three of them grew tense, Ryuuko's eyes went wide and she was quick to drop the stick she was using to assist herself before she grabbed her twins, holding their hand tightly on hers as she led them away from their previous spots.
ROAAARRR!
Another deep, booming roar that seemed to shake the very ground beneath her feet had echoed in the air, making her inhale sharply and grip her twins' hands tighter.
The sound was like nothing she had ever heard before, the deep, bellowing roar echoing through the trees is like a warning from the depths of hell— like a bell, telling her that her time on earth is up.
She stumbled briefly, the pain from her ankle shooting up to her hips, the sound sending a chill down her spine before regaining her footing and putting on a burst of speed.
She could sense something dangerous nearby, the sound of its heavy footsteps and labored breathing growing closer and closer.
"Mommy!"
"Mom, I'm scared!"
The twins cried out, tightening their hands on her as they did their best to match their mother's pace.
"Just keep running!" Ryuuko encouraged them, her hands trembling ever so slightly as she kept up the tough facade, "Don't look back and keep your eyes ahead!"
Rozia's lips trembled, holding back her cries. She knew that the monster had probably heard her outburst earlier and now they are about to die because of her.
She made a fuss because she couldn't find food for her mother, afraid that she would die, not expecting that she would bring the danger that could end not only her mother's life, but her life and her twin brother's life as well.
"Mom." She sobbed, unable to hold back her tears.
Ryuuko couldn't look back at her daughter so she could only answer as calmly as she can, "Yes, darling? Don't worry, we will escape from here!"
"I'm so sorry." Rozia sniffled loudly, hiccuping as her legs start to give out, "I'm so sorry, mom—"
She stumbled forward, cutting herself off as she accidentally let go of her mother's hand.
Ryuuko let out a terrified gasp, the color in her face vanishing when Rozia tripped over her feet, scalding her skin all over the hard and dirty surface of the ground.
"Shit!" Ryuuko cursed, walking towards Rozia and picking her up, "Come on, baby, stand up."
Rozia did as she was told, wincing and sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
She kept apologizing, the wounds in her elbows, knees, and face burning, doing her best to get up, but her hands are wobbly which only makes it harder for the little girl to get up.
Ryuuko wanted to assure her daughter that it wasn't her fault, but she heard the crash of something large moving through the trees and knew that the danger was getting closer.
"Come on, Rozia." Ryuuko hissed under her breath, "Mommy can't carry you right now, we need to—"
ROAAAAR!
The heavy footsteps got louder and sent tremors through the ground under their feet as it closed in on them, its powerful legs covering ground with each step.
The monster that was chasing them revealed itself by crashing through a tree, cutting it in half. Its massive frame was silhouetted against the trees, its jaws open and its huge, sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight.
The monster emerged from the trees, its massive form looming over her and her children.
She had no weapon to defend herself nor her twins and her injured leg made it impossible to run. She could only kneel there, beside her crying and shaking daughter with her sobbing son clinging to her, frozen in fear.
The monster?
What the fuck is a T-rex doing in a rift? Ryuuko could think that at the moment as she gathered her children in her arms, holding them tightly.