It's normal again. Death is back to a whisper. No longer can it rip my throat and lungs out. It can only scratch. Like normal.
That's how it's supposed to be, right? It's no longer the night of the last hanging. It's supposed to be normal. Right?
Wrong. Something isn't right. The stench of unjustified bloodshed hangs thick in the air. Just the way it does on the most dreaded night.
Something isn't right.
Jason sees it too. His eyes dart more than they used to now. It'sbeen like this for weeks. It's been 15 days since the night of the last hanging. Each day his eyes dart faster. He sees something but he won't tell me what.
I'm not doing well in school. I threw up in math class. Everyone thought I was weird before and this made it worse. I don't have friends. Not outside the circle. Not outside the fortress under the weeping willow. Barely even outside my squad. Jason is the only one I trust.
Eyes that once were vacant are now alert. My classmates bustle around faster and more carelessly. They can feel it too. Something isn't right.
I can't go home. I tried that once and I threw up. Nobody understands.
I can't go home. I can't go to school. They surrounded the apartment. The monsters, I mean. The monsters know where I live. They know my sanctuary.
I can't go anywhere. They follow me.
What am I supposed to do?
I'll run away.
