"Breath"

After the accident...yeah that's when the voice started. At first it was nothing, just a noise in my head is all...an obnoxious noise. But...then the nightmares started, the hallucinations, the pain.. And it wouldn't go away.

Breath... that's what she called herself. She destroyed me...she used me for her sick little game! She disgusts me, I hate her...but I can't stop her. I can't kill her. Because if I do... I will die with her. Now she has complete control. I am now gone, but I wrote this as a warning...

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock, with a heavy sigh I pulled my self up out of bed. When I glanced around my room I pitied myself, memories of the accident flooded my mind, the the voice returned.

"Awwwww, poor poor girl. You know I can take away the memories."

I slowly shook my head, then angrily pounded the bottom of my palm against the side of my head.... "You Know That Won't Do You Any Good, Stupid Girl...."

Ignoring her voice I went on as usual, I got in my usual clothing, a thin skeleton hoodie, matching skeleton gloves, dark denim skinny jeans, red rubber rain boots, shadowy eye shadow, and my dirty blonde hair up into a messy ponytail. When I finished getting dressed I ran downstairs, the smell of breakfast filled my nostrils, I silently walked into the kitchen to see my older cousin, Sam, cooking eggs, turkey bacon, and toast.

I walked up behind her as casual as could be and asked, "Soooo, what's for breakfast Samm?"

She jumped a little then smiled, "Whaddya think smartass?" She laughed. I looked at all of the food, then shrugged, I walked over to the toaster and grabbed a piece of toast.

I plopped the piece between my lips and headed for the front door, "Hey! Where do you think you're going Cass? You haven't even had breakfast yet." Sam called after me.

I looked back at Sam in the kitchen and smiled, "Sorry love ta stay and chat but I gotta get to school."

With that I ran out the door and headed for school, I went to Chesnee Highschool, I was in my first year. I can't remember why I wanted to go to school so early...I had no friends.

When I arrived at school a terrible pain entered my head... "This Should Be Fun...." I tried to ignore it and keep walking, but then it came back not even a minute later...

"You can't ignore me! I won't let you..."

The voice went dormant...that's what worried me. In my first class I sat at my desk drumming the eraser tip of my pencil on my desk, my mind grew heavy...then a small hand lightly landed on my right shoulder, "Cassandra, are you alright?" My teacher asked, her voice filled with worry. I but only grinned, then replied with a small cackle, "Fan-Fuckingtastic You?"

After that I spun around in my seat to face her, cackling as I jabbed the tip of my pencil into her shoulder, she fell to the ground screaming bloody murder. I cackled louder as my fellow classmates fled the room screaming for help.

I stood and kicked my teacher onto her back, climbing on top of her I swiftly removed the pencil from her left shoulder, only to carve her eyes out repeatedly with the pencil. Bloody chunks of her slid down the sides of the pencil as I finished, and blood covered my hands...then...a warm hand landed on my shoulder, waking me from my nightmarish hallucination, "Cassandra, are you alright?" Her voice was soft, just as it was in her delusion.

I shakily shook my head, then covered my face with my hand, "Y-yes ma'm I'm fine...." The voice in my head cackled...

"Did you enjoy my little fantasy? I bet you did. In your sick little mind you actually enjoyed it."

Without warning I burst from the class room and ran into the nearest restroom, girls or not. I locked myself in the very last stall and sat on the toilet, quietly sobbing, I heard soft footsteps walk down all the stalls until they were at mine.

"Cassandra?" I heard my teacher's voice, it was soft and filled with worry.

"What do you want?"

I spat harshly, I heard a small knock on the stall door, "Unlock the door...."

She spoke quietly, "You need sleep...You mat be excused from school...." I sniffed, "You can't do that..." I tried to sound normal, but my voice cracked when the words came out.

"We'll go speak with the nurse, then she may excuse you from school early...Okay?" She asked, I slowly moved for the stall door and pulled back the lock. After we went to the nurse and I was about to check out...I thanked my teacher.

"Thank me? For what?" She asked a small chuckle in her voice.

I looked her in the eyes, "Well you're the only one here who actually gives a damn." I answered truthfully.

Her eyes grew a little wide at my language, but then she gave me a small smile, "Everyone needs someone to look out for them..."

When I exited the school I decided to take a longer route home...that was just one of my mistakes that ended me...

As I walked down the cracked worn out sidewalk I heard small sobs not too far off, When I followed them I ended up in an alley, at the end of the alley was a woman...she looked homeless, I decided to help her... Another mistake...

When I approached the lady and offered her help she quickly turned me down, "I-I don't need any help...just go, please!" She hissed, I looked her in the eyes, perplexed.

"It'd be no trouble miss...here." When I knelt down to help she shoved me away, "No! I don't need help by a nice little girl like you! You'll just be hurt! Just please hurry, leave me!" She whispered hastily, but by then she was too late...four large men exited the shadows surrounding me.

They were all silently chuckling, staring at me...a disgusting, perverted, look in their eyes. I took a step back, they took a step forward...

"Now look at what you've gotten yourself into... troublesome girl."

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of my face...

"I can help you."

One of the men stepped forward, a devilish grin forming on his lips, "Alright boys, lets have some fun...." He sneered.

The lady looked up at him, her eyes wide, "No wait, stop! Come on Ray, She's only a kid..." She pleaded.

My eyes grew wide as he backhanded her, then he made a move towards me... "Hey, Kid! I Can Help You! Just Let Me Out, Will Ya?"

The leader of the group, Ray, grabbed me by my throat and pinned me against the old, fading, brick wall...he began to unzip my jacket...

"You idiot! Let me out! All you have to say is, yes!"

I was hesitant a little at first but...I made my third mistake...just as he nearly got my coat off I choked one little word out....

"Y-yes..." My vision grew hazy. I heard the sound of her cackle...then nothing.

When I woke I was still in the alley...but this time I was soaked in blood. I looked around at all of the bodies... all of their eyes had been carved mercilessly from their skulls... even the woman's, I looked over at her body and what I saw scared me. There she was her back bent over the shopping cart that she used to grab garbage, her eye sockets a bloody mess, and her mouth gaping open...most likely she was screaming at the last moment. I pictured it all in my mind, the massacre, the looks of absolute horror on their faces, and their screams for mercy...

"W-why did she die? She was trying to h-"... "Help?! She did nothing but beg like a coward! I was the one that helped, do not forget that!"

I clenched my fists... "You're pathetic, you can't ignore me after that!"

Looking down at my bloody hands I notice the small camoflauge pocket knife...

"You like? Neat huh? I got it for ya, kinda like a gift."

I quickly stuffed the knife into my coat pocket and fled the bloody scene, ignoring the voice in my head as much as I could...that was my last mistake....

When I finally made it to my Mammy's house, I swiftly opened the door, and scurried up to my bed room...my wallpaper was fading and tearing...the house was old though. I walked into my bathroom and stared at my self in the mirror...I looked awful. My hazel blue eyes were now red and a little puffy, from lack of sleep, I slowly looked down at my hands, they were stained in blood...

I quickly snapped on the faucet and tried to rub all traces of the blood off of my hands and wrists, tears streamed down the sides of my face. Then I heard a familiar voice calling my name... it was my Mammy...

"Cass?" She called after me.

"Oh god, not now!" I hissed to myself.

"You better listen to me stupid girl, or else you'll pay the price!"

Still ignoring the voice in my head, I walked downstairs to my grandmothers aid. When I got to the living room, where Mammy was sitting on a lopsided couch listening to jazz on her radio.

"Yes Mammy?" I said trying to sound as normal as possible.

She held out her hand, "Oh, be a dear and help me to my room...?" She asked weakly. I simply gave her a fake smile, then guided her to her room. When she finally fell asleep I sleepily stumbled up to my bedroom...

"W-why am I so sleepy all of a sudden...?" I quietly asked myself, I decided not to change into my pajamas and just threw off my gloves, boots, jacket, and pants. The only thing left was my B.O.T.D.F T-shirt... I crawled into bed, holding the stuffed bunny my mother made me before the divorce...and then I slowly drifted to sleep.

"You've ignored me long enough, foolish girl. You will not be the only one to suffer."

"Eugh, W-where am I?" I breathed, I helplessly sat up and scanned my surroundings, then pulled my self up...the world was foggy and rather dark..but that was it, nothing but darkness.

"You're always alone aren't you?"

Deranged laughter filled my head, I clutched my head with both of my hands and screamed, it stopped.... I quickly looked around hearing footsteps shuffling my way, I looked behind me and saw a small female figure off into the distance, it kept coming closer..closer..closer...then only one thing filled my mind, "Run damnit!"

I listened to my own words and ran off in the other direction, away from the figure. I snapped my neck around to see if I had lost her, but instead noticed she was gaining speed, I began panicking. Finally I couldn't run any longer and stopped to catch my breath, I was hunched over panting, I weakly looked behind me and saw..nothing..she was gone....

"I told you to listen to me."

Hearing the familiar voice I snapped my head back to face the front, and then I saw it... right there... was me..another me... The other me was hunched over panting as well, but something was off..her eyes were as wide as humanly possible, a blood thirsty grin across her sinister face, and she was soaked in blood. Her eyes slowly looked up at me... then her grin grew larger then I could have imagined, but then quickly disappeared for a few short seconds as she cackled, "Gotcha!"

With that she lunged at me, I braced myself for the floor but..it never came..instead we both fell through the floor as if it were water, muggy, black, thick water.

She strangled me with both of her bloody hands, I clutched both of her wrists and pulled at them, the black liquid filling my lungs...then I woke up screaming, in a puddle of my sweat. I panted, clutching my chest, heart racing. All my fear faded when I heard music playing downstairs, when I was halfway downstairs I stopped and listened to the melody playing...Ring Around the Rosy..?

I decided not to judge my Mammy's choice in music and continued to walk downstairs, Just before I entered the living room I put on a fake smile, and asked her merrily, "Soooo, what ya listening to Mammy?"

Then I walked in...my smile dropped, my face filled with horror, as she saw...her own grandmother hanging by the neck on the ceiling fan, spinning slowly, her eyes gouged out of her skull, and on the wall...written in running wet blood were the words:

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE IGNORED ME."

All the while the song, Ring Around the Rosy was playing on repeat.... I silently fell to my knees, screaming, cursing my head, sobbing.

Then...blank... I lost... The only thing still playing through my mind was the song...Ring Around The Rosey, a pocket full of posey, ashes ashes...

She walked over to the rather large home, a sinister gin playing upon her lips...she broke in through the window, no need to be subtle, she wouldn't take long. A light switched on revealing her identity, my teacher looked confused at the intruder...

"Cassandra...?" She asked quietly, the accused slowly shook her head her grin growing larger, flipping her hair from her face she revealed her pocket knife.

"Breath...that's my name, but..."

She pointed the knife at the lady, "Not like you'll live long enough to tell anyone!" With that she lunged at her, blood spilled everywhere, a short scream filled the house, the only thing left behind were words written in oozing blood on the kitchen wall...

Ring around the rosey, a pocket full of posey, ashes ashes...

"We all fall down..."