I can't breathe.
I hate work. It drags me down. My friends don't even see me often. I'm the most sober person I know.
But I must keep working. I need every penny I earn, even if it isn't much.
As I drive home, I notice I'm low on gas, so I stop at a gas station. My ears twitch in anticipation. The gas is cheap. Lucky.
"Better be careful out there, young lady," The clerk warns me.
"Why?" I ask, confused.
"Ya haven't heard? Well, I suppose the police don't wanna alarm anyone..." He looked down nervously. "There's a serial killer on the loose. Reporters assume he's a cannibal, too. Dirty freak." He shuddered.
"Where was he seen last?" I shiver. A serial killer? Possibly a cannibal? I did NOT want to die like that.
"Somewhere 'round here," He grits his teeth. "Makes me nervous."
"Oh..." I feel really bad for this poor man, forced to work here or be broke.
"Well, seeya." He said shortly. "Hope ya don't get eaten or somethin'."
"I- I'm not-" I sigh. "Me too."
After driving a bit, my car sputters, breaking down. I groan loudly, banging the car's dashboard with my head. Luckily, I had crashed down next to a motel that was in the middle of nowhere and had enough to pay for one night until tomorrow when I could call a tow truck.
"Hey, I'd like a room for one night?" I say politely to the woman at the counter, who was smoking a cigarette, chewing gum and watching the game.
"Yeah, whatever, 5 bucks," She offered her hand, and you gave her the cash. It was extremely cheap and you could already tell it would have bad quality. She then gave you the keys to room 4 and continued watching the game, not taking her eyes off it for a second.
I walked to my room as quick as possible, opening the door to a musky, moldy stench. The bedsheets were stained and there were cigarette burns in the carpet. I frowned, but plopped on the bed, ready to sleep.
And I was about to when I heard a knock on the door.
Tired, I opened it, only to see no one there. I shrugged and fell back into bed.
But then it came again. Knock, knock
Then it hit me. What if this was that cannibal guy? What if he'd come to eat me? I shook myself. Nonsense.
I opened the door again, and this time there was a white cat standing there with a package. He had green eyes and an emotionless expression.
"Uh.. hello?" I said, confused.
"I am Nyx. I have brought you your package."
"Ahm... I didn't order anything."
He just handed me the package, and I read it in shock. The sticker on the box said "Isla Meredith", my name. Maybe it was an order I'd forgotten. But then I realized:
I'm not even at home. How did they know I was here?
But before I could continue thinking, Nyx pulled up a large knife and brought it down on me, barely missing me. I reacted, hitting the knife and making it fall back on his face, causing him to stumble. I ran as fast as possible to hide behind the shower curtain, pressing myself to the bottom of the tub and holding my breath.
It didn't take him long to return to the chase. Before long I could see his shadow looming over me in the bathroom, his green eyes glowing with delight and hunger.
Screaming
Everything was black.
it has only just begun
