Out of Mind

Part 3

Everything around me is completely black, and as I run further down the path, it just seems to be getting darker. But I don't stop. The focus for me right now was not that my psychiatrist was dead, it was me not being next.

I quickly glance over my shoulder to try and see if the man in black was close behind. I didn't expect to see anything right away, especially through all the black. But I don't hear anything either. No footsteps, no heavy breathing, nothing. I stop running, and immediately panic.

I can't see a thing. I have no idea where the path starts or ends, or even if I'm still following it. I can't tell whether I'm back on the road Dr. Karlson and walked down or somewhere deep in the forest. The white light has disappeared completely, and now I can't even remember the way I came.

Desperate, I crouch down to feel the ground. Knowing if I'm standing on grass or pavement might help determine where I am. My fingers brush against the sides of my black Nike sneakers, then hit thin air. My stomach drops. I move my hands around some more, frantically searching for any kind of solid surface. All I feel is the biting sensation of ice cold, bitter air, and for a second I'm positive I've gone insane. I'm standing on pure nothingness. What in the world was happening?

I feel something grab my arm, and I scream. A second hand covers my mouth, and before I knew what was happening, I black out.
***

I wake up with a start, and the first thing I feel is cold, soft grass caressing my cheek. The sense of relief that rushes through me is indescribable.

I can see clearly now, and I recognize the fork in the road I tried to escape at not too far away. It's dark out, but I'm lying near a small campfire near the side of the road. It provides me with enough light to see all the trees and pavement surrounding me. Across the road, there is a field of freshly cut grass surrounding what I can barely make out to be a barn. A thin path snakes its way through the blades.

I sit up slowly, and gasp. The man in black, the very one I saw only moments ago standing over my dead psychiatrist's body, is feeding twigs into the fire.

"Relax, Haleigh," he says calmly.

Relax? Was he serious? "How do you know my name?" I demand.

"No need to get aggressive, now," he replies. "I've seen what you are capable of when you're angry. In answer to your question, I heard them talking about you."

"What do you mean, 'them'?" I shoot back. Nothing he's saying makes any sense.

He smiles gently, and I can't help but notice his teeth are perfect. Not one out of place, as I would have expected those of a darkness- loving murderer to be. "The police, of course," he says.

I narrow my eyebrows in confusion. "Why on earth would the police be talking about me?" I wonder out loud. "Also, who on earth are you?"

He forces a weak smile. "Why would the police be looking for you? Haleigh, you snapped your psychiatrist's neck in the middle of a session and then bolted out the door down one of the most deserted roads in town. The real question is, why wouldn't they be looking for you?"

I stare at him blankly. I killed Dr. Karlson? I may be one of the darker, shadier people in town, but I swear I would never kill someone. I would never kill anyone, even if it was Dr. Karlson. Not in my right mind...

My jaw drops open slowly as I realize what had happened. I can't believe it, but it makes complete sense. Hold on, I think, if she was dead before I left the office, how come she was with me in the forest and walking home?
The obvious answer comes to me too quickly. It was all just one big hallucination.

"In a way, I'm proud of you," he continues. "She was awful anyways. Not many people would have had the guts to do that, especially to someone like her."
When I don't respond, he comes to sit next to me.

"Calm down, now," the man says. "I can help you."

"How can you help me now?" I ask hysterically, standing up in a hurry. "I've lost my mind, killed someone in the process, and now here I am considering help from a stranger who is proud of me for it? How in the world do you think I trust you?!"

Before he can respond, the blaring of sirens breaks the silence of the night.

"Now you've just about gotten me caught," I tell him. "Thank you so much. I'll leave you here for them to find, and you can tell them whatever you like. Just remember: never try to help a psychopath." I look him in the eyes. "You've seen what we're capable of."

With that, I run across the road, through the field of grass. I'd take refuge in the barn for awhile. If the police found me, so be it. I was too out of mind to care.
*****

Part 3. My favourite part of the story (aside from the ending. But that you'll have to wait for.)
The picture here was (again, as shown above) a girl in a white dress running through a field of short grass. Again, I modified the picture to fit the story better- Haleigh's dressed in all black, and it's nighttime (in my assignment, I made the grass long 😬 oops).

I hoped you guys like the story up to here- you'll see how it ends soon!

- Madvenger16