Human

Fallen Again

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Jenna

A hangover. That's what I felt. That's how I felt when my eyes open, darkness clouding my vision as I try to understand what's going on. The only thing providing me warmth, is the sweatshirt I'm wearing, a thin material that feels matted with something, from the smell of it, probably dried blood. 

Shaking, I find little strength to get up, resting on the cool cave wall. Now being able to see easier, I take in the smell, the cool freezing air. My mind tries to look back at what happened...but...nothing comes back. I don't remember it. Don't remember going into a cave. Don't remember bleeding. 

I finally move my hand, searching for anything else. I look through pockets on the large pants I wear and finally find something. A flashlight. I take it out, unzipping my zipper, and finding it there. The cool metal only makes my hand more numb as I click the button, creating light in the large stone cave. I point it around the ground, taking in the footprints, the remnants of food around the dirt ground. Banana peels, old cartons of milk and plastic cups. As I sit up more, the pain goes through my torso, the most painful sting on my chest that it's hard to breathe. Curious, I look down at my black torn jacket, the smell of metallic blood taking over my nose. I look around, not being able to see anything really until my eyes focus more on a stick. A large stick coming from my chest. Then I realize...it's a knife. 

I raise my shaking arm, feeling so weak as I try to take the knife out my chest, crying as it does come out. Letting out a shaky breath, I drop it, hearing the knife make a thud sound as it falls. Unzipping my jacket, I look at my white shirt, the huge spot of dark blood, and finally, I look under my shirt, letting out a breath of relief when I see my wound healing.  

Finding some strength, I get up from the ground, my legs barely able to support me as I stumble through the cave, my flashlight helping me see every rock and hole in the ground on the way out. 

"Hello?" A soft voice says, breaking me from my focus. I stopped mid-step, completely frozen as I hear an old woman's voice ring throughout the exit of the cave. "Is somebody in there?" She asks. her small frail silhouette motioning all the slow movements she makes. Not caring if she hears me, I fall behind the rock, the only thing keeping her from seeing me, and I turn off my flashlight. 

Sitting on the cold mud, I watch the old woman, for some reason getting a cold feeling in my chest as if the sight of the fragile woman could freeze my heart, causing me to stop. 

The woman, now deciding that no one is in the cave, begins to pull her hair out the tight bun she had, and I watch as the ends slowly drape along her shoulders, and then, right as I was about to blink,  she raises both her arms, holding a long thin stick in her hands, her hand making circles in the air. Confused and flinching, I watch as her shadow becomes bigger. She becomes taller, the short cloth dress she was wearing now not going from her ankles, but her knees and her short hair grows past her butt, like a beautiful cascade of dark hair. And, before I can even react, she's right in front of me, my knife now in her hands.

---

"What the hell?" I whisper. "Katie, what's going on?" I ask, my eyes going dry as I try to close my eyes, try to blink, but find my eyes glued open, staring straight at the blood dripping from Gabby's nose. 

"It's...the strawberries." Is all Katie says, her eyes not looking at Gabby, but the empty bowl on the nightstand. 

"From this morning?" Abby asks, her voicing showing that she is about to decline whatever it is that Katie's about to say.