Apnea

Force

She screamed, and as she did, she propelled the platform away from the city, away from people, away from it all. She didn't care where she would end up, she just wanted to get away. The wind lashed at her eyes until tears streamed down her face, blocking her vision. Get away, leave, run, fly! Get me out. Get out, GET OUT! 

Soon, she was in the middle of a field. The moonlight illuminated the tall grass grazing her legs and trees lining the edges. The ground felt solid beneath her feet as she landed. It was silent as if the world stopped breathing. As if it was afraid to make a sound.

The quiet was a relief; she couldn't hear anything anymore, nothing. It was as if she finally stopped living and just started existing. A laugh bubbled out of her, catching the short girl off guard. But she couldn't control it. It rose and escaped. She laughed at the world, at her situation, at her pain, at the sadness, anger, at the fucking grief. She laughed until she couldn't breathe, and even then, her body refused to stop, making her produce a clicking, wheezing sound. Her sides started to ache, but she welcomed the physical pain with open arms. She collapsed onto her knees, unable to stand. As she hit the ground, her emotions forced their way out, activating her quirk. 

The field around her, which used to have tall grass living in it, was quickly flattened and crushed. Thunder came from the ground, so defining it made her ears ring. The amount of power she used caused the ground to crack and break apart, making a perfectly square crater around her.

The cackling continued, refusing to stop. She had enough. She had enough of constantly being sad, of being angry all the time. It wasn't her fault, but it felt like it. She wanted to forget it all, to start over in a new life. If she overused her quirk, that would happen—an escape. The crater grew deeper and started to displace the ground until she had built up high walls around her and an even deeper chasm below her. The singular space she occupied had risen with the walls, pushing her towards the night sky. As she greeted the stars, her blond hair fell past her shoulders, tickling her back. The laughter turned into a scream once more, but it was much weaker than before. Her breath started becoming shorter, her limbs locking in place, keeping her upright.

This, this is it. She thought as her lung collapsed. The ground stopped moving, the wall of air pushing it down disappearing.  

I can be free. 

A gentle breeze drifted by her face, a final kiss goodbye from the quirk she once loved as she passed out.