FACELESS
Is that her?
You crouch down behind bushes, behind bramble, behind undergrowth. Tall, thin, gangly trees stretch up from the forest floor. Wind whispers through the tree branches. Clouds of autumn leaves rustle past you, swirling in the wind. Sunlight gleams through the branches above you, streaming down through the forest. You look forward, your eyes widening.
The trees surround you, enclosing you.
Up ahead, through the trees, stands a little girl with her back to you. She stands in the underbrush, unmoving.
Is that her?
Slung on her back is a school backpack. A pink backpack, contrasting with the green trees around her. Her head is bowed down. Barely, slightly, her arm moves. In her hand, she holds a knife.
A gleaming butcher knife.
Falling from twisted branches, leaves drift through the air. Floating, drifting, the leaves fall to the forest floor, landing in the undergrowth.
Can the trees hide you?
Terror rushes through you. Your eyes gaze at the girl ahead of you. Your eyes gaze at the knife.
She drops the knife into the undergrowth. Slowly, she turns toward you.
An icy chill prickles down your back. You do not move. You stop breathing.
The girl has no face. Just skin, and a mouth. Bright red lipstick, the color of blood, glistens on her lips.
Can she see you?
"No, of course not," you say. "She has no eyes."
She begins to walk toward you.
Leaves swirl through the trees, rustling. The wind rushes past tree branches. Trees creak. Dead branches lay twisted in the undergrowth. The undergrowth sways in the wind.
She is coming for you.
Something brushes against your leg. Something grips your ankles. You look down at your feet.
The undergrowth wraps around you, seeming to come alive. It twists and knots around your ankles. Thorny plants clutch at you, tightening, cutting your legs and clothes.
You cannot run.
She walks past the gangly trees. The undergrowth clears out of her way, making a path beneath her feet. Her hands grasp the straps of her backpack. Her knuckles turn white.
A trickle of blood runs down your leg.
Sunlight seeps into the forest. The jagged tree branches high above waver in the wind. A breeze blows through the trees. Leaves rustle.
The undergrowth fastens to your ankles. You try to break free, and fall on your back. The grassy undergrowth ensnares your arms, your neck, your body, claiming you.
She stands above your body.
Emotionless, you look up at her. You struggle to move, to break free. But you are stuck, restrained to the ground.
You cannot hide.
Her lips open. Her teeth are clenched. Her face – she has no face. Just lips, blood red lips opening to show clenched teeth.
"Found you." She crouches down, her face approaching yours. "Want to hear a secret?" She licks her lips, smeared with blood-red lipstick. Her mouth whispers into your ear. "You have to let me inside you first."
In a sudden chill, adrenaline courses through your body. Muscles flexing, muscles straining, you try to move.
The undergrowth stretches and begins to tear. The thorny bramble begins to shake loose from the soil.
"What?" you say. "Get away from me."
She remains bent over you. You can smell her breath in your face – the smell of burnt ash. "I want inside. Please don't reject me." Her hair seems to shine in the sunlight. "Just open your mind." Her blood red lips come closer to you. "Let me in."
A sensation tingles in the back of your mind. You stretch and strain. Thorns cut deeper. Blood seeps from the cuts.
In an instant, the thorny bramble tears loose from the ground. The undergrowth relents.
In a burst of energy, your arms move. Your hands grip her throat. You push her away.
The forest spins around you. You are running, running through the forest. Tall, gangly trees seem to rush past you. You don't know where you're going, but you run. The ground blurs beneath you. You slow down. Blood oozes from your legs. You turn your head, and look behind you.
In the distance, she covers her ears and opens her mouth, as if to scream.
In a jolt of pain, you clutch at your ears, but hear nothing. Piercing silence stings your ears. You can hear nothing. But the pain in your ears – the pain sears your head, your mind. You cannot breathe. Your heart seems to stop beating. Your chest, your lungs, throb with pain.
A burst of fire ignites beneath the girl. The flame leaps at the nearby trees, setting the gangly trees ablaze. The girl stands in the fire, unscathed.
The trees around her erupt in flames. Flames spiral up the trees, ascending up the narrow tree trunks. The smell of burning wood fills the air. Fire spreads from tree to tree, engulfing, consuming everything in its path. Everything, except the girl. The faceless girl, standing with her knuckles turned white, clutching the straps of her backpack.
She is coming for you.
You stagger forward. Your arms outstretched, touching the trees to steady yourself. "I need to get out of here," you say. "I must get out."
Blood is streaming down your legs. You no longer care. You must keep going. You must.
Behind you fire engulfs the trees, devouring the underbrush. Flames descend upon the undergrowth, and rush toward you. Dense smoke billows about the forest. Black clouds cover the sky. The sunlight is extinguished.
The fire burns closer, closer, coming for you. Coming to burn you, to consume you.
You turn in different directions. You stumble, and trip on a twig. A dead twig.
The forest grows dark about you. You can hear the fire crackling, blazing. The smoke surrounds you, filling your lungs, choking you. Your eyes sting. The forest becomes hazy. You have difficulty seeing.
You cough. You stand up. You keep going.
Fire is coming for you.
You stumble around, losing your sense of direction. This part of the forest seems familiar. Were you here before?
Suddenly you stop. The trees in front of you are immersed in flame. Through the smoke, you think you see someone.
You call out to them. Whoever they are, it doesn't matter. Someone, anyone. "Hey, hello," you say. Coughing, your voice is hoarse, parched, dry. "Help," you say. "Help me."
The person comes toward you.
Fear runs through you. Your heartbeat quickens.
It is her.
The person is a little girl. She is wearing a backpack, and has no face. Her lips – her blood red lips – break into a smile. She walks toward you.
Your foot hits something in the underbrush. A glint of light shines up at you. You bend down, and reach your hand to touch it.
A sharp burst of pain splits your finger. Your finger is cut. Moving the underbrush aside, you look closer. It is a knife.
A butcher knife.
Fire blazes around you. Smoke swirls and churns through the air. Gangly trees crackle, crackling as the flame devours them. The underbrush withers as the fire burns. The fire roars about you.
You reach down and pick up the knife.
You look up.
The girl with no face stands in front of you. Her blood-red lips grin. "Pretty fire," she says. "Don't you think it's pretty?"
You hold the knife up before you. It gleams in the flickering light. "Stay away. Let me go."
"Let me inside your mind," says the little girl. "Just let me in." She steps closer to you. "Don't be silly. Don't be afraid." She takes another step toward you. Closer. Too close to you. "Let me control you."
Don't listen to her.
You stab the knife into her. No blood appears. The girl just stands there. Her mouth twists into a smile.
"That was mean." Her hand grips the knife hilt. "Are you trying to kill me?" Her grin widens, and she shoves the knife in deeper. "Do you know what I am? I'm a demon."
The fire roars about you, blazing, flaming. Wisps of smoke spiral between the trees. Black clouds of smoke rise to the sky. The hazy air ripples from the heat.
Her lips, crusted in dried blood, draw closer. "I am a part of you. Did you know that?"
You shove the knife in deeper. Still no blood appears.
She grabs you, pulling you closer. "Just let me in. Give me what I deserve."
Don't listen to her.
"Give it," says the little girl. The cute little girl with no face. "I want inside." She grabs your head with her hands. "Let me control you."
You twist the knife. She lets go of you. She stumbles backward, and with a knife stuck in her, she begins to glow orange. A girl glowing, with a knife stuck in her.
A butcher knife.
You shield your eyes. A burst of light and flame surrounds you. The heat grows unbearable. You catch on fire. You watch as you burn. Your eyes close tightly.
Eyes closed, darkness surrounds you. You drop to the ground. The pain leaves you. The fire disappears. You lay still. The forest becomes calm. Your eyes are still shut.
You try to open your eyes. Nothing happens. Your hands clutch at your face. You feel no eyelids, no eyebrows, no nose. Just skin, and a mouth.
A voice speaks in your head. "We're going to have a lot of fun together," says the voice. "Now, what's under your skin?"
Stumbling, your arms outstretch, feeling, groping. Your bring your hands back to your face. Your eyes are gone. Your face is gone.
"Want to hear a secret?" the voice says in your head. "But I can't tell you; it's a secret."
You are hungry. You must eat to survive.
Sunlight warms your skin. The forest becomes calm and still.
"I can't tell you, because it's a secret."
Licking your lips, you taste dried blood.
but ya, wow very interesting how it was in second person. It seemed like it was a dream you were having but couldn't stop. Very, Very creepy how the girl had no face except for a mouth.
