I sent my mother to hell

Last time around, I busted my butt to drag my mom and little sister out of the rubble during the quake. I ended up getting pinned under a collapsed wall, and those two? Mom just focused on my sister, led the rescue crew away. I was trapped for 20 hours, my leg going south, ending up a cripple. The whole family resented me, then they hatched a plan to off me for the insurance money, sucking me dry so they could live the high life.

This time, I woke up, back before the earth started shaking. This time, I’m not lifting a finger for them. They’ll get what’s coming to them, and I’ll be the one to send them packing.

1.

I was lying in bed, sweat beading up on my forehead, dripping down my cheeks. I bolted upright, gasping for air, pupils pinned, like I was still trapped in that nightmare. Then, this familiar prickling sensation shot through my lower leg. I grabbed it, twisting it hard, and a sharp pain flooded through me. It was glorious.

Looking around the room, I realized it – I was back. Last time, during the quake, I’d pulled my mom and sister from the wreckage, only to have a huge slab of concrete pin my lower body. Paralyzed, I became a burden to the family. And those ungrateful jerks, they plotted my death, cashed in on the insurance, and lived it up on my blood money.

The thought set my blood boiling. I felt the faint tremor start under me, and a sudden memory sparked. I looked at the calendar, the half-full water glass trembling slightly next to it. This was the day of the quake. I could still fix this.

"Hey, Ashley! What are you doing still in your room? Get out here and start breakfast!"

I heard the familiar voice from outside my room. I swallowed my anger and calmly answered, “Okay, Mom, I’m just going to run to the store to grab some stuff for breakfast.”

I threw open the door and plastered a smile on my face as I looked at my mom, the same pretty, self-absorbed woman she always was. She looked at me with a frown, her eyes like ice: "What are you standing there for? Don't you know Sarah has ballet practice this afternoon?"

I knew. I also knew she’d never dance again.

I hit the grocery store that was the farthest from our house. On the way, Mrs. Henderson, from down the street, stopped me and asked why I was going way out there for groceries. I just put on my best sad act and told her, "Sarah wants chicken soup, says they kill the chickens fresh out that way, whatever makes her happy."

She just shook her head, but I could have cared less. I paused at an old payphone. Hesitating. Then I did it. I disguised my voice and told the 911 dispatcher about the impending earthquake before hanging up and walking away.

2.

Things moved fast. I hadn’t even made it to the market before the ground started to move. The buildings started to buck and sway like they were made of paper. There were screams, shouts, just pure chaos. I blended into the panic-stricken crowd and got the hell out of there. The firefighters showed up pretty quickly. The af...