The coffin was becoming more and more stuffy, and the air was running out fast. I tried to push the cover upward, but the dirt pressed it down further, and I dropped it soon. Taking a deep breath and pulling my shirt over my nose, I started to kick at the sides of the coffin. My legs burned, and I paused for a moment, but continued to struggle. I was not going to die like this. I was not going to let Hayley win. Taking another slow breath in, I stomped my foot into the side of the coffin. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed through my ankle, and I lost my breath momentarily, cradling my foot. I was sure that it was sprained, and there was no way I could kick the side of the coffin with a sprained ankle. Twisting my body around, I struggled to turn over so my other foot was closer to the side of the cabin. My spine grated against the cover of the coffin, and I buckled, coughing an choking as a few more clumps of dirt toppled into the coffin. I was over on my front, though, and I used my good foot to kick at the side of the coffin. Wincing as my ankle twitched, I pushed hard on the coffin, bracing my back against the other side of the coffin. Suddenly I felt something give, but it wasn't on the side I was kicking, On the contrary, it was at my back. Instantly I braced my leg against the stubborn left side of the coffin and continued pushing with my back. I felt another pop, and another, and suddenly I was engulfed in dirt. My mouth instantly opened up and I inhaled a large clump of dirt. Wheezing, I tried pushing myself up, but the soft, loose dirt crumbled instantly under my hands. Using my good leg, I started floundering around in the dirt, still holding my breath, I tried using swimming strokes to get me to the surface. It worked, and I surfaced, taking deep breaths of the clean air. As my head broke through the surface of the dirt, I blinked the dust out of my eyes and looked around. There wasn't much I could see, just tombstones. But there was a streak of color in the east. I paused in the dirt, allowing my head to sink back. I would only stay there for a moment.
I don't know how long I stayed there, but the next thing I knew, a hand was grabbing the top of my head in a very familiar way. Hayley jerked me out of the dirt, and with her face inches from mine, hissed,
"How did you get out? How?" I laughed in her face.
"You ought to have done... a better... job," I huffed. Hayley threw me down; I slammed into the earth. Moments later, the sharp edge of something metal sliced sharply into my cheek. I winced, curling up into a ball as Hayley aimed again with her shovel. The blunt side of it smashed against my stomach, and I curled up tighter, covering my neck and head with my arms. When Hayley stopped for a moment, I rolled aside and grabbed her ankle, yanking her down as hard as I could. She went down with a scream, and I pushed myself up on my elbows, only to have Hayley leap at me, her hands going around my throat. She squeezed hard, and I felt the blood rush into my head. Tensing my stomach, I kicked out with my legs, into her stomach, and she flew off me. With an angry snarl she started back at me, but I was ready. When she leapt on top of me, I rolled over and pinned her down as best as I could. She screamed and tried to shove me off her, but I gritted my teeth and held on. Reaching up, she grabbed my throat and squeezed, and I lost my grip for a moment, choking. She pinned me to the ground, her face full of malice as she squeezed harder; a psychotic fire had kindled in her clear green eyes. I twisted my head to the side and bit her arm, hard, but she continued to squeeze harder and harder. Suddenly a soft murmur of talk reached my ears. Hayley looked over; her face twisted with fear. In the next moment, she leapt off me and was gone. I rolled over, wheezing and massaging my throat; I felt indents where she'd pressed. The talking became louder, and all of a sudden a black-clad company came round the tombstones. They didn't notice me at first, but one of the women, who was wearing a hat with a lacy black veil on the front, looked down and gave a scream. I probably looked like a zombie, with blood running down my face and dirt caked everywhere. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, and one of the men, who was wearing a black cravat, came forward and looked me over. He lay me down again, and I didn't resist, struggling for breath. The world went hazy, and I succumbed, finally, to the comforting darkness.