Lethal Confessions

She still had the nightmares. Sleep was officially her enemy, she couldn't close her eyes for more than an hour without Alma's haunting face appearing to her. Followed by the faces of the others, her friends. Cassandra sat up in her bed. Because of what had happened months ago she refused to sleep in the darkness and for her sake her relatives had resolved to leaving on all the lights in the house at night.

It had been six months since that night. She had woken up in a hospital remembering every single detail of it. The night she and her friends had set out on a trip but run straight into a nightmare, a nightmare only she had survived.

She was told that she had been found by the side of the road, bleeding and half-dead. She told them all she could remember about the cabin. The police found it but in contrast to her report, it was empty. There was no sign of her friends or their luggage. It was as if they had never been there. They were ruled as missing even though Cassandra insisted that they were dead and had been killed by a ghost.

She was diagnosed with PSTD and put under strict supervision in a psychiatric home till she was pronounced stable. Word had spread to her colleagues at school and people began to give her wierd and pitiful looks during classes and anywhere they saw her on campus.

She lost all her friends and became a recluse, spending most of her time at home, staring into space. And now she couldn't even have a decent sleep without Alma invading it.

She run her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. Throwing aside her comforter she climbed out of bed and plodded to the kitchen where she opened the fridge and took out a jar of water.

After two glasses of water, she replaced the jar and the glass and began the walk back to her room. She had taken a few steps when she heard it, the sound of a metal spoon hitting a glass. Clink, clink, clink. She froze, the hairs on her body standing upright. She heard it again. Clink, clink, clink. She swallowed and took a step forward. The sound seemed to follow her. Clink, clink, clink. She took a deep breath and bolted for the door but some force entrapped her leg and hauled her back. She fell on her stomach and struggled helplessly as it dragged her backwards.

"Help!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Please help! Somebody help!" Her cries for help went unheard as she was pulled into the darkness that was under the sink.

It was very dark. And it kept calling her. "Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra!"

She awoke with a jolt. Beside her on her bed, sat her mother, her face an epitome of worry. "Cassandra, darling. What's wrong? What happened?"

Cassandra touched her head. Her temperature was high and she was drenched in sweat. "It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare." She repeated the mantra she always recited whenever a nightmare woke her up, which was all the time.

"Honey, what is it? Is it one of your nightmares again?" Her mother's voice was laced with concerned and she wrapped her daughter in a bear hug. "It's alright now. It okay. You're safe. Mommy's got you. Nothing is going to happen to you, okay?"

Cassandra nodded into her mom's chest, basking in the warmth of the hug. She was safe. Alma was gone and nothing bad was going to happen. Nothing bad —

Clink, clink, clink. Clink, clink, clink. Cassandra heart began to race as she turned to face her window. Staring back at her were two red eyes. Clink, clink, clink. A multicoloured nail tapped on the glass. Clink, clink, clink. Cassandra shut her eyes and opened them again. They were gone. It was only a branch of the oak tree in their compound that was tapping against the glass. She was just imagining things.

Her heart beat decreased and she relaxed back into her mom's hug.

...

Outside, she sat on the tree and watched, her red hair flowing in the wind. The blade in her chest and her multicoloured nails in her lap shimmered in the moonlight. She watched the older woman tuck her into bed, give her a kiss and walk out, closing the door behind her.

Then she crawled on the tree branch, close to the window and tapped on it, an evil smile overtaking her face. Clink, clink, clink.

The End.