The house was quiet. Even the old wood didn’t groan or creek. I lie there, and listen to the quiet clunk, clunk from the leaking faucet. I sat up, and rubbed my head. The silence was torture. I needed to do something other than lay here.

With a sigh, I stuffed my bare feet into my boots. Now the floor groaned as I headed downstairs. I needed some fresh air. It was raining, but I didn’t care. The sound and smells were comforting. It was darker than I had expected. I squinted, but it didn’t help. Even blind from the darkness, I continued to push myself forward.

By now my hair was soaking wet. I knew somewhere up ahead the dirt road was claimed by the thick roots of a tree in my neighbor’s yard. I slowed my walking, as I tried to make out the path ahead of me. Despite my efforts, my foot caught in a root and I tumbled to the ground.

I let out a gasp of pain when my head slammed to the ground. I groaned, but just laid there. Mud clung to my face, and I welcomed its coolness. It eased my throbbing head. I knew lying there was a bad idea. I needed to get up. I slid my arms under my body so I could push myself up off the ground. I turned my head to the side. My eyes locked onto piercing blue eyes.

I screamed.

Her eyes were glazed over, and her face pale. I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe it was just a hallucination. I had hit my head pretty hard. Without opening my eyes, I stood up. Quietly, and gently so I wouldn’t slip again. When I was on my feet I slowly opened my eyes. I stared at the bush for a long time. I laughed out loud when I realized that was all it was. Just a bush. Just for laughs I knelt down, and peeked around it.

My scream was even louder the second time. It pierced through the silence of the night. In a matter of seconds I was running. I didn’t care what I hit. I didn’t care that the rain was coming down harder. And I didn’t care I couldn’t see anything. I just sprinted as hard as my legs would allow. In the direction I knew to be safe. Home, I thought. When I reached the house, I flew through the door. I heard it slam behind me, but I didn’t stop running until I reached my dusty attic. I stumbled to the floor. My entire body shook around me, and I didn’t bother to try and calm down.

I pulled my knees to my face and didn’t dare close my eyes. I didn’t want to see what I knew I would. I watched a drip of water glide down a strand of hair in my face. It didn’t keep the image that was now in my head. Nothing could change what I saw. The poor mangled body of the girl. Twisted in ways that were so wrong it made me sick. I raised my shaky hand over my mouth.

All I heard was the leaking faucet. Each drop made me flinch. It sounded as if it whispered death, death, death as each drop hit the sink. I let my eyes close. I saw that body of that girl no matter what. The body of the girl who was me.