Hollow Hearts

A Friend in the Forest

Back when the woods meet the back of my house, my imaginary friend used to live there, only he wasn't imaginary. Other people can't see him, he says it's because I'm special, unlike all of them. People say that I'm crazy and I know I'm not, but I let them think so, soon they won't be here anymore to say things. They will all die a horrible death, all each a different kind of way.
My friend says that sooner or later I will accept his offer, it's better off this way. People will bow before me because I am who I am. The offer is tempting, but then my mother screams.
When I return to the kitchen, of course my friend is there. The scene before me was just as I had imagined it would be. There are simple cuts around the eyes, and ears. Then his eyes are bloodshot. On the walls there are simple patterns of blood, that only make sense to me. It's simple really.
Last night my dad was drunk beyond anything i could have imagined. He abused me later that night. In more ways then one. I assume that when I went to bed, he tied me there. And every time he moved me, I think he knew I would scream. He did this because my parents know what I am. I was abused not just mentally but physically and emotionally. 
Tonight was different, however, slower, darker than most. As my father whipped me with his belt across my back, my adrenaline kicked up a notch.
I breathed in and out in tune with my rapid heart beat. My heart beat rose, adrenaline coated the pain, I felt skin rip and warm blood flow from the wound. The whipping stopped, and I passed out.
When I woke up, I was standing in a clearing of my forest. My throat was parched and my mouth is dry, everything hurt. I couldn't stand straight without wanting to lie down and writhe in pain. But I stood.
'I am strong,' I told myself, 'strong as my friend in the woods.'
The air around me grew thick and cold. A dark presence made itself known. Smoke appeared out of nowhere. The smoke materialized into the shape of a person. The features weren't there, but the eyes were a dark red. A voice then entered my mind but came from all directions, not unlike a knife running across stone, but more ancient.
'Did you see the mess that you decided to make! Are you stupid? The whole damn town already thinks I'm crazy, now they have a reason to kill me. Well you're my only friend anyway so I guessed that I wouldn't be misse-'
"None sense, little one, you will be missed greatly. You are a big part of our master plan, they won't hurt you. If they try they will end in a horrible manner. Like your father did to you. Only I can do that."
'Is that an offer?"
"More than that. It is a new life for you."
'Well maybe I liked the offer MORE'
"You do not wish a new and better life for yourself?"
'No I do, very much so, but still.......... I would like the offer also.' The shadow approached me slowly, as if I was an endangered animal. Who knows, maybe I am.
"What is it you really want?"
It took me a while to answer that question. There were so many possible answers like: a new family, nicer dad, or even a mom that cares.
When I spoke, there was determination and hatred in my voice: "I want them to die. All of them."
And with that, I closed my eyes to the world that surrounded my woods and housed my friend, and opened them to find myself dressed in a hospital gown, lying on a bed, and attached to an IV drip.