Chapter 1

I’m pretty sure I’m dead. I prop myself up onto my elbow in a puddle of blood. There’s bits and pieces of torn up flesh surrounding me. I look down at my hands, and there’s dirt underneath my fingernails.

Where the fuck are my clothes?

There’s blood splatter all over me. My heart is beating out of my chest. I draw my hands near my face, and watch as blood trickles down my arm.

That’s not my blood. My mind is racing, and I can only concentrate on one single action. Run.

I’m barefoot running through the forest. I can’t remember how I got here, but I know I gotta get the fuck out. My legs are moving faster than my feet. I can’t keep up. Shit. I fall to the ground and quickly bounce back up into my sprint. The rocks and roots under my feet don’t even hurt. I reach the highway.

My car is parked diagonally on the shoulder. The driver’s side door is open, and the interior lights are on. Thank God it’s barely sunrise. I pop my trunk, grab my skate bag and dig through my roller derby gear. Why do I have so much fucking shit in here? I toss my skates into the trunk. I’m searching for my uniform. I pull out a bottle of water that’s almost empty, and I drink the rest. Gross.

A trucker blows his horn as he passes by me. I flip him off as I’m standing there buck ass naked with my foot up on my rear bumper. Fuck him for that. I roll up my fishnet leggings, put my foot down, switch legs, and guide my other foot in. Another car drives by just before I managed to pull the leggings over my ass. I stretch my light purple sports bra over myself. This one was always my favorite because it matches my hair. I grab my black hoodie, throw it over my shoulder, and slam the trunk shut.

My car must haven’t been sitting here too long, it starts right up. I check my mirror. There’s blood on my face, and neck. Tears stream down my face. I put my hoodie on to cover myself. Where am I going to clean up? I can’t go home.

There’s a leftover sports drink in my console. I pick it up and the way the light hits the red liquid causes me to have a flash of memories from the forest.

There was a blonde woman running from me. I was chasing her down the running path that ran alongside the highway. Another flash of me pinning her to the ground pops into my mind. She was screaming as I tore her body apart with my mouth and my furry claws. The flashes end, and I drop my drink in my lap. I whip the bottle out of my car, and take off.

The sun is starting to rise as I’m speeding down the highway. I feel broken and confused. What have I done? What am I?

There’s a rest stop ahead, I think I’ll clean up there. I pull into the parking lot, and pop my trunk open. My gear bag also has a small tote with toiletries. I walk in, and duck into a stall. There’s a woman using the toilet next to me. I’ll wait. I do not want to be seen like this. There’s blood stains on my skin that show through the holes in my leggings. She leaves, and I lock the door behind her.

I run the sink water, strip down as fast as I can. The mirror catches my eye. There’s blood in my icy lavender hair. It’s everywhere. I use my sports bra as a facecloth, and wash my body with a travel size shampoo. My head doesn’t fit into the sink, but I get as much of my hair in there as possible. I quickly wash the blood from my hair. This is a mess. Blood drips from the sports bra as I ring it out into the sink. I watch it circle the drain.

Knock Knock Knock

“Just a minute.” I yell as I scramble to roll up my leggings and throw my hoodie on. Shit. There’s blood on the floor. I stuff the bra into my hoodie pocket, and open the door. The older woman looks at me and gives me a nasty look. I dart right past her. It’s so fucking bright outside. What a wonderful day for abundant sunshine. I could use some clouds, or some sunglasses I suppose.

Maybe I should just go home and lay low. I could at least get some food, and clean clothes. What if someone’s looking for me?

What if I killed someone else?

I’m a monster. I gotta get the fuck outta here for good. I’ll never go back. There’s not much for me to go back to anyways. I hop in my car and check my glove box. My grandmother’s tarot cards are in there. The console is full of change, and my wallet holds a few twenty dollar bills, my license, and my debit card. I guess I’ve got all I need.

My mother, and my grandmother are dead. I don’t have any siblings, and I don’t know who my father is. I’ve got no family here anymore. I live in my grandmother’s old house. Nobody will miss me there. The house might as well be abandoned. I need to make a decision. Do I call my best friend? Should I call my boss and quit? Or should I just disappear?

I pull my phone out of my console and get out of the car. I throw it onto the ground and stomp on it a few times. The phone screen is shattered but it’s not broken enough. I bend it in my hands back and forth a couple of times. It won’t snap. I walk over to the trash bin and toss in it along with the bloody sports bra.

I’m outta here.