The Rash, Pt. 7

                That night, I went right to sleep. I felt the cool pillow feeling touch my face while I laid down. I was able to drift off to sleep.

                “Hey Tom.” Said a voice.

                I woke up, looking across the room. It was a voice that was undeclared, unknown, unwanted. I looked around the room to see the source. I wasn’t able to determine where it originated, but I knew that it was something I didn’t want to answer. It was the cabin. The cabin my family owned from the northern part of the state. I played there a lot when I was a kid. I’d hit the tall pines with a makeshift sword from the sticks as I pretended to battle the whole forest for control of my land.

                “Tom!” I heard from the cabin. I stopped fighting the pine, I could feel the light, majestic caress of the Bluebunch wheatgrass against my bare shins.

                “Coming mom!” I said. Not wanting to let go of my stick, I ran toward the cabin.

                I walked into the house. It was darker then I remembered, the lights were out, except the moon was shining from the ceiling. I looked up to see the starry sky twinkling down to me from the sky. I looked down, my feet deep in the mud I had left her. She was struggling under my hold. My hands were around her neck. She was screaming, squirming under my hold. She was trying to reach for my face, claw my eyes. I was annoyed by this. I moved them out of the way. I put my full weight of my body on her arms, and strangled her by her neck more.

                I wanted to see the light, to see her body go limp, to watch her die. It was this that gave me the power I needed, I wanted. Suddenly, she reached around and started clawing my arm. She was screaming.

                “Help! Please help!!!” I had to squeeze her neck more, she was able to breath.

                “No, die bitch. Die!” I screamed.

                “Die!” I screamed, feeling my body twitch in the bed. Her face was still screaming at me from the dream. I was soaked, the entire body cold and slick with my sweat. I sat up in the bed and looked out at the darkness. I looked back, Kat wasn’t in the bed. I must’ve been too loud. She was sleeping somewhere else again.

                I went to the bathroom and washed my face. I looked down, my arm was still raw, still red, still burning. It seemed worse. I put more cream on my arm. I needed to go to the police, I needed to tell them what I saw.