hooded

Untitled Part 1

I ran through the forest. Branches lashed out cutting my face, but I didn't care. I had to get away. I had to escape. I ran further into the forest. My brain vaguely registered that I was lost. The dress I was forced to wear at the mental hospital was ripped and dirty. My bare feet were starting to bleed, and my breathing was becoming more and more jagged. I stopped and looked around. Paying attention to my surroundings for the first time since I left the cursed place that I was forced to call home. It was so dark here. My eyes widened at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was too fresh. Too foggy. To untouched to be anywhere near the hospital. I start to panic slightly. I try to control my breathing, in out, in out. It doesn't work. Black spots start to form at the edges of my vision. At this point, I don't know if they're from exhaustion, or lack of food, or panic, or a mix of all three but either way the spots spread, consuming my vision with black.I wake up, everything is upside down which confuses me. Until, a hooded figure enters my line of sight with a blade, quickly turning my confusion to fear. I attempt to scream, to yell at them to let me go but no sound came out. Not that I expected it to, I haven't been able to speak since my 8th birthday. That was 10 years ago. But hey, it was worth a shot. The hooded figure reaches up with the blade. I hear it cut something somewhere above me. I shake my head vigorously, trying to tell them that it's a very, very bad Idea to cut whatever it is they're cutting. I hear something snap. I start falling, head first, towards the ground. I panic. I've been doing that a lot lately, it's probably not good for my health.

I hit the ground, considering myself lucky that I didn't break my neck. I look at myself, trying to see if I have any other injuries. It's then I realise that I'm wrapped up like a mummy. I do not want to be a mummy. They're creepy and dead. i don't want to be dead.

Suddenly the hooded figure grabs the end if what I think is rope. I'm pretty sure I was dangling by rope, not bandages. That would be weird and very unpractical.

My head hits a rock. Or better yet what should have been a rock. Except. Guess what. It's not, it's a skull. I had turned around to glare at the offending item, only to gulp and start to fear for my life (not that I wasn't already).The warm glow of fire starts to illuminate the ground I was getting dragged over, oh, well shit, they're going to eat me,*cue announcer voice* "but wait, you can't eat raw meat that's savage and all so primitive, we must cook it first!". Joy. I mentally groan. I do not wish to become creepy-hooded-person-in-the-forest chow.

I get dragged fully into the light so that I'm propped up against a tree stump facing the fire. Well, please excuse me as I rephrase my previous thought. I do not wish to become creepy-hooded-people-in-the-forest chow. They reached up and lower their hoods, revealing an even creepy skeleton like faces. Their skin was pale and covered in horrid scars, as though they had been ripped apart and sewn back together a million times before. Their eyes were blood red with three slit-like pupils in each, and their hair was matted and appeared to have bugs crawling through it. They looked like mutant snakes got crossed with zombies and then had a very, very bad day with a very, very angry dog.

They joined hands and started chanting. I felt numb. Dead. Heavy. Like every muscle in my body had relaxed. It was nice. I started to fall asleep. I would have liked sleep, but noo i can't catch a break, can I.

Suddenly blinding red hot pain spread across my body. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I was terrified. My blood felt like it was on fire, burning me from the inside out. I felt like a million poisoned knives where stabbing into me over and over, twisting, ripping and tearing me apart. I felt like I was being ripped into a million different pieces. Being torn apart at the seams. Like my brain was being ripped from my skull piece, by piece, by piece. And I screamed. I screamed until my lungs felt like they would spontaneously combust. I screamed until my throat was so dry you could have used it as sandpaper.

Then the pain stopped. As suddenly as it started. I was shaking. My breathing felt heavier than the moon. My vision swam turning everything into a swirling bowl of chicken soup, like the kind dad used to make for me when I was little. The creepy forest people smiled, not creepy smiles. Happy ones. They look happy, I thought as everything was plunged into darkness for a second time that night.

I woke up to a glaring brightness, I raise my hand to try to block the light, wait, what!! I can move, but I swear couldn't do that last night. Soundly the events of last night come rushing back. It hit me like a truck. I screamed. My hands start to shake, but I'm mute I haven't been able to make a single sound for 10 years. I open my mouth before snapping it shut no. no. I can't. But I can't hurt to try. Can it?"h-he-lo" I stutter my voice shaky. Before clasping back my hand covering my smile my excitement consuming my entire body. a giddy laugh escaped my lips, and my cheeks start acing but I can't stop smiling. I hear leaves crunching near me. My smile fades.