Rewriters [Completed]

Chapter 4: A Faint Light

With late March came the flowers in full bloom, accompanied by the occasional spring breeze, gently brushing past the leafy branches, now free of snow.

Walking by a melody of chirping birds, Lysa sat on a bench, enjoying the warmth and serenity of the morning. Put at ease, she closed her eyes.

Strangely enough, it suddenly occurred to her that the park seemed too placid; other than her and the birds, there were no one else there.

Her eyes snapped open instantly as panic shot through her chest, and regretted it the moment she did so.

Everything became distorted. The birds were silenced, the winds reduced to a cold and eerie whisper that echoed in her ears endlessly.

No...

Lysa finally realised where she was, which sent a terrible sinking feeling in her stomach. She took a step backwards, only to hit an invisible wall.

Not again...

She felt a hand on her shoulder and her blood became cold. It wasn't an invisible wall she backed up into. Without turning around, she attempted to run, but her legs were rooted to the spot.

"Are you not going to face your own mother?"

Her head was pounding. The words seemed to be stuck in her throat as the footsteps of the newcomer, her mother, grew closer until they were facing each other.

No, get away from me, Lysa begged, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Please... while you still can...

Her silent pleas were unheard as her mother approached her. She looked like she aged at least ten years since they parted, her face pale and wrinkled, her once beautiful brown eyes not quite as sharp as before.

Without saying another word, she stepped forward and embraced her daughter in a hug.

Paralysed by fear, Lysa couldn't return it. Instead, she tried to feel the warm of her mother's embrace, but her body was shockingly cold to the touch.

No... it can't be...

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, accelerating by the second. Her breathing became uneven as it felt as though something tightened around her throat.

No, no, no... not again...

She stared at her mother, whose eyes were blank and lifeless as she stumbled backwards and fell, revealing a stab wound on her chest.

Not again-

Everything - her breathing, her heartbeat, her thoughts - stopped upon realising that there was another person in the vicinity, who had just witnessed what happened.

Lysa looked down, and to her horror, there was blood on her hands, along with a wickedly gleaming knife that wasn't there before. "D-dad, I..."

His eyes were full of pain. "I know," he spoke quietly, walking towards her. "I know everything."

"Please... stop..." she managed to force out. "Stop!"

He froze. As he opened his mouth to say something, he started coughing out blood, collapsing beside his wife with the handle of a knife protuding from his torso.

She didn't have to look at her hands to know whose knife it was.

Everything hurt. She couldn't breathe, hunching over as though she was going to throw up but nothing came out. Her face was wet with tears that didn't seem to stop flowing.

This is what I deserve, isn't it?

"Lysa? Are you okay?"

No matter what happens, I'm still a murderer-