Too Much Blood

The thought hammered through her head like a metronome. She couldn’t stay here. Bill would get in. Kylee whirled around. She slipped out the open window and raced across the yard. Bill’s voice carried all the way to the tree line. Kylee covered her ears, sobbing as she ran to her fallen trunk. Shaking and trembling, she crawled inside the hollow.

Finally, silence. From here she couldn’t hear Bill. She was safe.

Her heart tightened as she thought of her mother. Bill would turn on her now, take out his anger on someone else. “Stupid, stupid,” Kylee sobbed. She never should’ve asked to go to the beach. She knew better.

She needed a release. She needed a cut. To hell with her resolution. Reaching behind her and digging her fingers into the dirt, Kylee’s fingers brushed the small paring knife before she found what she wanted: a sharp steak knife.

Reckless, shaking with emotion, Kylee dug the knife into her skin at the bend of her arm and ran it down toward her wrist, right over the jagged scar. The red blood welled up along her forearm before spilling over the sides in small rivulets.

Kylee waited for the pain to come. It didn’t. Angry and impatient, she gripped the knife in her bloody fingers and cut the other arm the exact same way.

And then the sensation kicked in. She gasped as the nerve endings sent wave after wave of agony through her arms. Adrenaline drove out the anger and hurt, and she focused instead on the physical throbbing of her body.

Such relief. Kylee settled back under the tree and shut her eyes, cradling her arms against her body.

She’d cut herself deeper than usual. The blood soaked into her shirt. Her arms felt hot, like fire had started beneath her skin. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids seemed made of lead. Her short, shallow breaths deepened as her heart rate slowed. A small warning bell rang in her head. Should she be alarmed? It took a monumental effort, but she pried one eye open. Cloudiness fogged her mind, and she tried to lift her head up.

Too much blood. The sight of it pooling across her abdomen and creeping up her shirt startled her into reality.

Swearing at herself, Kylee yanked her shirt off and tore it up. Her hands trembled so badly she could hardly do a bandage, but she managed to wrap both arms up.

She crossed them over her exposed torso, her teeth chattering. She couldn’t think anymore. Exhaustion hit her between the eyes. She’d done what she could; there was nothing else to do. She lay down in the dirt, still clutching her elbows, and let the heavy fog wrap around her mind.

***

Kylee woke up suddenly, shivering as a cold breeze blew over her bare flesh. Goosebumps rose up on her stomach, and she curled up, huddling in a ball for warmth.

The dirt did little to reflect her body heat, however. She stumbled out of the hollowed out tree trunk, kicking up leaves and twigs as she made her way back to the house.

She examined the make-shift bandages on her arms. The bleeding must’ve stopped, but the rags were stained crimson. She touched one with a finger, and the crusty dried blood crunched under her touch.

The world tilted around her. Kylee needed to lay down. The full moon lit the yard, casting a ghostly pallor on the dark and silent house. Whatever fighting and yelling had gone on was long over now. She climbed back into her bedroom. The door was closed, but her desk chair lay sideways by the wall. So much for keeping anyone out. It wasn’t the first time she’d snuck back in to find Bill had forced open the door.

A dark suspicion took root in her mind, sprawling outward before she could pluck it away: had Bill ever followed her? Did he know where her secret tree was? She shook her head. No. If he knew, he’d chase her down.

The hall light was out. No sounds came from her mom and Bill’s room. Kylee turned on the closet light. She grabbed a sweatshirt and yanked in on over her head. Turning the light off, she spun in a slow circle. Shadows from the desk and bed loomed in the otherwise bare room. The lack of personality and life mocked her. This generic room could belong to anyone. Or no one.

She couldn’t bear it anymore. Kylee wasn’t staying here another moment. She no longer wanted her bed. She bolted for the window and climbed back out before she could question her thoughts.

A moment later she found herself in front of Price’s house, staring up at the window on the second floor.