May 25th,
Though I enjoyed these repeating days, they still haunted me. Of all the days I could've died on, I had to have picked the best one that I've ever lived.
"How deep in the woods were you, Emily asked. "All I can ever see are trees."
"I walked for hours until I felt like stopping," I said to Emily. "I only stopped because I just felt like I had nothing left in me."
I didn't feel anything when I made that long walk. My legs never felt tired. I never stopped walking. I just kept going until I felt like stopping. I felt empty inside, like anything that I did never even mattered in the first place, like I wasn't even attempting to care about anything anymore.
I just wanted to die.
But that's changed now. I have Cole and Emily with me, so now I can look forward to living a better life.
"Can I ride on your shoulders?" Emily asked me.
I lifted her up off the ground, above my head, and planted her on my shoulders. She placed her hands on my head and commanded me like a horse.
"Head north Mr. Horse," she ordered, giving me a new name. "Full speed ahead and don't stop for nothing!"
"Aye aye, your majesty." I said, half-assing my role as the horse.
We "rode" off into the sunset as the golden glow illuminated our path and the scent of maple and cinnamon filled our noses. I felt a new kind of joy as I enjoyed listening to Emily's childish laughter and tight hugs she gave to my head.
I decided to pick up the pace and go a little faster.
I don't remember the last time I ran this fast. How long has it been since I even ran at all?
Oh right. I remember...
*WHAP!*
I felt something heavy hit my back and it sent me tumbling down to the floor. Emily flew off my head and hit the ground hard just ahead of me.
Thank god we couldn't get hurt in this world.
I looked behind me to see what had thrown that object, but the moment I did-
*SHINK!*
A metal rod stabbed through my left cheek. It pierced right through the skin and flesh and exited out the other side. Suddenly, I felt myself getting yanked forward by someone. Even though they were several meters away from the metal rod, I could see them yanking the rod back as if pulling me in.
Either this person had a really long rod or really long arms.
This person was a woman. She pulled me close to their face with the sharp rod still stabbed through my cheek, a disturbing smile was carved with her lips.
"Oh~ My sweet child~," she said in an eerie voice that sent chills down my spine. "Why would you ever want to leave me~?"
That voice sounded familiar.
"Mom?" I barely muttered through the metal rod.
"Why would you ever want to run away from me~," she asked me. "You know how much I love you, right~? RiGHt?!"
Her voice went from eerily sweet to completely terrifying quickly. And with a hard yank, she flung the sharp medal rod in the other direction.
Straight through me cheek.
*SSHHHHRRRRIIIII!*
I saw a huge chunk of flesh get shredded off my face. While there was no pain felt, just seeing my own flesh getting ripped off my face sent pure shock through my veins. It wasn't pain, but it didn't feel pleasant.
It started to rain. A thunderstorm appeared from nowhere and a puddle formed under me. I looked down and saw my own reflection.
Half the skin on my face was gone, revealing the most grotesque thing that I've ever see in my entire life.
I screamed.