Brainwashed

Back to the Streets

The entire world became one white blur as I trekked out in the snow. I had been walking for a few hours and knew I couldn't go on for much longer. Ice stuck to my face from tears that had long frozen. At that point, I was just waiting for the inevitable. My only wish was that it would be painless.

"Miss? Are you alright?" a small voice questioned. It was a young boy who couldn't be over the age of 7. I looked down at his small frame and lied.

"Oh, me? I'm quite alright! Just need to get to my place 'round the corner," I said cheerily, while my teeth chattered. He didn't look one bit convinced.

"You should come inside. They say there's gonna be a real big snowstorm out there tonight. Me an' Pa have a warm extra room that you could stay in for the night," the red-headed boy informed me, putting an emphasis on warm. I knew that I should have just continued on. I knew I would be putting these kind people in danger. But I still accepted the offer, lured in by the fire I could see burning behind the boy in the house.

The boy's name was Thomas. He and his father lived on the outskirts of the city, bringing in firewood from the forest for a living. His father had been outside chopping wood before the snowstorm hit. They were a nice family that gave me food and a bed, a warm place to stay. I didn't ask where his mother was and they didn't tell. 

That night, I thought about all the people I had encountered. How their faces reacted when they figured out that, yeah, I was that Ava Ray. The murderer. Most people gasped or called the police, but some of them were nice. Some people could be trusted. I shook my head; thinking like that had been what got me into this mess. Eventually, I fell into a restless sleep.

The sun woke me from my brief slumber. The first thing I noticed was my head, pounding inside my skull. Then, as I walked out, I threw up. There on the couch was the two people that had assisted me. Their eyeballs had been gouged out, their intestines yanked out, and the worst of all, their hearts bled out onto the wooden floor. As I was dry heaving, I spotted something white in Thomas' mouth. It was a note from whoever had done this atrocity.

Dearest Ava Ray,

I know you're probably angry at me now, but I needed to get your attention. I've been watching you, my creation, for many weeks now, and think that it's about time we met. Please find enclosed a map of the forest. There is a tree, Blackwood, that you will go to. If not, well, we wouldn't want your Finn to be hurt, would we? You know what I can do already. Get here by midnight and your friend sees another day.

-H