"Hah… hah… hah…"
It hurts…
It hurts…
Tears prick my eyes; I feel snot press against the skin just below my nostril.
I use my arm to rub it all away, but it only comes back.
Thc… hick…hick…
I need to get out of here…
Mommy…
I clutch my damp hair.
Dots show in my vision.
A migraine? At a time like this.
What did I do to deserve this?
Dammit…
He made me do it…
I didn't want to kill him...
I just want to go home...
Hick… hick…
Pathetic sounds come from my throat.
Squinting from the pain in my skull, I lethargically walk away, hunched over.
I need to get out of here…
I need to get home…
I just wanted to be left alone…
Why did you make me do it?
One heavy step after another.
"hah… hah…"
My legs are heavy. It's like I'm treading through water.
My dotted vision blurs further.
My head trembles.
Hick
The sound of footsteps.
Galloping, one after another. Slowly walking in my direction. Flashes of light spreading through the dark trees.
I need to get away…
Move…
Move!
The rushed movement causes me to fall on my side.
"Gah!"
Everything hurts…
Please…
My voice comes out in a weak croak.
"stay… away…"
The steps grow louder. The flash brighter. It hurts to see.
"please…"
Louder. Brighter.
I can barely hear my own voice, but it's still too loud.
"stay… away!"
The footsteps stop; I see their legs. One... two... how many people? My eyes shoot closed.
My head…
Damn it…
One of them speaks to a phone.
"shut… up…"
You're too loud…
Shut up.
Shut up.
SHUT UP!
I clutch my head to suppress the pain. It doesn't do anything. My hair is damp with sweat.
A disgustingly cheery voice explodes from the phone.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
I glare at the source.
"shut… up…!"
I can't even see how the three people in front of me react.
"You're gonna have to speak up, man! Are you ill or something? How unlucky! Hahaha!."
A drill hammers into my brain.
Hick… hick…
"Do you know what you did? Well?"
Why can't you all just leave me alone?
"You killed someone! Isn't that awful! You were doing fine running! You could've gotten away fine!"
I grimace from the pain further.
I don't have the energy for this.
"Isn't that awful? Anyway. It's only fair for you to die, since, you know... you killed someone."
I cover my ears with my hands.
It doesn't help.
Nothing helps.
All I can do is wait for it all to stop.
"…You're not making this very interesting. Oh well."
The sound seems to fade, as if the phone's pointed in a different direction.
The static in my skull never quiets.
Just be quiet. Is that too much to ask for?
Voices bleed through.
It's a faulty transmission, like a radio's.
Static paired with voices I barely understand.
I the phone hang up.
Voices croak.
Die… die…
I barely manage to open my eyes, when I see one of them kneel down, knife in hand.
"No…"
My weak voice is the only resistance I can offer.
"Stay… back…"
A sharp pain.
I bring my hands to my throat.
I can barely place any pressure.
grrglgleege
Warmth spreads through my fingers.
The warmest they've been in hours.
No…
Please…
Not again…
My eyes close for the last time.
***
This ceiling… it's familiar.
It's the same one I see.
Every single day.
For months.
Even before this all happened.
So why... have I grown to hate it so much?
The same cold air.
The same comforter.
Everything is the same.
My habits are the same.
So why?
Hick…
Again.
The pleasant smell of lavender.
Much better than the stench of vomit from earlier.
So why?
Do I hate it so much?
My teeth grind against each other.
All I can do is glare at the ceiling with blurry vision.
The ceiling that's mocking me.