From Within

Scarlett must get away. She soon discovers she can't outrun what lies inside.

"Go, Scarlett! Go!” Marsha’s whisper broke through the silent night. Scarlett’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Marsha’s voice. Warm streams of tears flowed down Scarlett’s face. She kept running. “I can’t! I can’t!” Scarlett ducked and jumped her way through the woods. Marsha mirrored her actions more swiftly and effortlessly than Scarlett ever could. Sometimes the way Marsha moved almost seemed unreal. The way she glided through the air, her dark mane whipping behind her fancifully, caused Scarlett’s head to spin. So she kept her eyes straight ahead. Focusing on nothing but what was in-front of her.

 The cold air stung her nose and numbed her face. But Scarlett’s lungs were aflame, burning her chest, boiling her blood. She couldn’t keep running, but she had to. Silver light of early dawn raced through the woods. It danced from tree to tree, exposing the dead of the ground. The beautiful scenery preserved a tranquil environment to Scarlett. An environment she envied with all of her heart. She so strongly desired the placid sentiment of the woods. For her mind was always racing. Something was coming for her. She awoke that morning with the feeling of danger lying in the pit of her belly; burning a hole straight down to her core. She felt it. Marsha even told her so. She convinced Scarlett to trust her. Scarlett felt it coming. Something was after her. The voices wouldn’t lie. Her only option was to run. Which led her to her current situation.

 “Faster!” Marsha whispered darkly. Scarlett couldn’t go any faster, though. She suddenly stopped her running, just to catch her breath. She could hear her heartbeat ring in her ears. A throbbing pain developed in her side. “What do you think you’re doing?” Marsha hissed. “I can’t-can’t run anymore.” Marsha rolled her eyes as Scarlett huffed and puffed. “You’re a weakling. You should just end it now. You’ll never get away.” Scarlett cringed. There was an obvious truth to Marsha’s words. They pierced Scarlett’s brain like knives. They tortured her soul to the point of surrender. Scarlett wiped away a few stray tears. “What are you waiting for? It’ll be easier to do-” The sound of a snapping twig distracted Marsha’s sentence. Scarlett snapped her head to the direction the noise came from. She looked back over at Marsha, who displayed an evil smirk on her face. “Better run.” She said. “They’re coming for you.” Scarlett’s heart started to race just as fast as it did when she was running. A tingle of fear spread from her scalp to her toes instantly. When she looked from the direction the noise came from back to Marsha, she was gone. “Marsha?” The words fell from her lips and hit the ground. Another twig snapped. “Run.” She heard a series of voices say. Boy, did she ever! She ran so fast she almost fell over. Branches whipped across her face as she started to cry again. 

“We’re coming for you. You cannot escape. We will get you, Scarlett! End it now!” The voices whispered to her over and over again; formulating a chant in the wind. The words grasped and caged her mind. They took control. Scarlett’s confidence of escaping diminished with every pace she made. Who was she kidding? She knew she’d never make it. She glanced behind her. Blurs of green surrounded her, but that was all. She knew something was there, she just couldn’t…see it. Which meant she was succeeding in getting away. Suddenly, without warning, Scarlett felt herself flying through the air. Her stomach rose and her hair created a halo around her head. For a minute she thought she was free. The voices were gone. The sun was just above her head, creating perfect rays throughout the woods. She was being lifted by the angels of heaven. They were taking her out of this hell hole. Scarlett felt that piece of serenity she had been looking for all along. She basked in the glory of silence. But it was over just as soon as it began. She crashed violently to the ground, realizing she had just tripped. A sharp pain proliferated throughout her arm. Scarlett winced in pain.

 The voices laughed along with Marsha, who was standing in-front of Scarlett now. She tsked. “What did I tell you?” She yelled. Her voice boomed through the woods. The other voices seconded her. “You’ll never escape us!” Scarlett sobbed. “Please?” She begged. Her voice came out meager and fragile. It was nowhere near as powerful as Marsha’s. Marsha had control. Marsha was the master. There was no escaping. “Oh! You pathetic little brat! No one needs you! Just go!” “Go!” The voices chanted over and over. “Go!” Scarlett cradled her head in her hands and rocked herself. The dew of the grass wet her legs. “You are not here.” She said ignoring the voices. Her eyes squeezed shut harder than ever before, letting a booming scream course through her body. It reverberated throughout the woods. When she opened them again nothing but trees and branches were in sight. A smile of gratification appeared on her face. Finally. 

“I wouldn’t be so happy, Scarlett.” She heard Marsha say. Scarlett frantically searched around for her. Her eyes darting all around. She heard laughter. They were laughing at her. More tears streamed down her face. “The mind.” Marsha begin. All of the voices tagged along. “Is a powerful thing. All it takes is a few tugs and pulls, and we’ve taken over. You want us here, Scarlett! We’re the only one’s who love you! Everyone else is out to get you! Don’t you understand? We love you.” Marsha appeared in-front of Scarlett and caressed her cheek. Scarlett shivered. “Everyone else who says they do, really doesn‘t. Those people…need to go.” Scarlett drew in a sharp breath. Marsha was right. The voices were the only ones who cared. They showed their love for her constantly. They were true to her. They showed they cared by testing her endurance and agility. Everyone else meant nothing. They had to go. “Pick your self up, dirt bag, and go! Everyone else hates you! Show them how much you hate them.” Scarlett weakly rose to her feet. 

“You-you’re right, Marsha. Thank you.” Scarlett started to limp her way back home. “Scarlett!” The voices repeated. She stopped. Marsha stood by her side now. “You can’t outrun what’s in your mind. You can never out run…you.” Scarlett nodded then grabbed Marsha’s tiny, cold hand. She took another step forward; going now to rid of the ones that hated her. The ones she hated too. The voices spoke again. For the first time, their words were encouraging. Welcoming. Loving. “Good girl, Scarlett. Good girl.” 

Author's Note

Wow! It has been a while since I've been on here. A good year, I'll say. Well, I've grown so much with my writing in that year, and I'm just glad to be back.

Reviews

[InsanityWriter]

Really good!! :D The suspense was great. I didn't expect the ending. Awesome job!!! ^_^

[Anita Harris]

Thank you so much! :)