Weed

 The hallway greets me, though the end does not glow with promise. I sprint toward the illusion of safety. Fight brings my arm out to the side to reach for a pale blue trench coat as I pass the glorious rainbow of coats, hats and umbrellas. I slip it onto my body out of foreign habit and trip to the darkness that looms. The angular eyes of falling stairs blink, taunt, “you cannot defeat us.”

“Yes, I can.” I say under my breath, determined to destroy any creature placed before me. I have already escaped hell; nothing will bring me any further down than I have already been. Malicious socks Fight and gives her a toothy grin, we make a real good team, you and I.

I waste no time and let my bare feet glide along the wooded edges of the stairs with astonished ease. They let out shrill shouts of discouragement.

“You cannot! You cannot!”

But I can. Oh, yes I can. Another hallway. Left or right. Reminisce shoves me left, her hands golden and shimmering. The walls are streaked brown, black; dirt and mold caked so thickly that it could not longer hold itself to the ceiling. Its slimy fingers reach, reach... I am in a Labyrinth.

A pained outcry echos down the halls and taps me on the shoulder. I think only of Genevieve and her bruises, her endless eyes.

I have to go back...

Not now... She will be okay Shriek soothes, patting me softly on the shoulder.

No! We can't let her die! Vulnerable sobs, tears shooting from the corners of her eyes in a never ending river.

She won't die! Stop being such a baby! We will return when it's safe! Malicious says with such venom I shiver.

A door-- it seems to smile at me. I rush through, my hands finding the handle without a thought. It swings, it shuts, silent. A stout bed lies lazily in the corner, his sheets ruffled and desperate. One dresser with drawers resting uneasily out of their places-- escaping just as I.

Relax, love.

“Don't say that. Don't you dare say that.” I snap. My lips curl into a grimace that is truly unsure as it pulls at the muscles on my face. Shriek backs away, her hands fidgeting nervously.

“I am missing something, Reminisce. Help me. These games, I hate all these games...” My voice fades, my eyes drift around the room. I have decided I like the sound of my own voice, the slight accent that moves my lips in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

Reminisce nods, her hair bobbing weightlessly about her head. She closes her eyes and gestures toward the small box-- a filing cabinet I realize. It shakes and roars, a drawer squeals open and answers erupt from within.

My body is ripped from reality and thrown into a lost memory. I hit pavement, hard. A laugh falls from the sky and a hand is grasping my arm.

“Fasten!” She titters, her voice that of porcelain. “You're such a clutz!” I feel her tugging hard on my arm, cold liquid spattering my back. I roll over and prop myself up on my elbows, in stitches with the hilarity of a joke that I missed the punch line to. Genevieve is bent over, one small hand gripping her stomach and the other balancing a sloshing drink in a fancy. I rise to my feet, nauseous and long past drunk.

“Here's your drink.” She giggles, handing me a half empty beer. I laugh obnoxiously in response to her idiocy.

“So where's this guy anyway?” There's a chuckle balancing precariously on her lips.

Taking a gulp of beer I look left, right, up and down.

Matthew. Looking for Matthew.

“Here sooomewheeree...” I slur, my vision blurring.

“Fasten!” A joyous call behind me. “Fasten, my girl! Over here.” Spinning and gripping Gen's shoulder we turn to face a smile promising a good time.

“Hey you...!” The words are no longer doing as I ask.

He smiles something handsome and puts his arms around me.

“So's this the beautiful sister you speak of?” He winks in Gen's direction and pink blossoms in her cheeks like spring. She is beautiful. Long, golden locks and fair skin, eyes the colour of a million blue skies. She is small, just as I and holds herself as such.

“Mmmm...” I clumsily kiss his cheek and lean my head on his shoulder, my auburn hair drifting down the leather of his coat.

“Oh, Baby, you don't look so good. I know what you need...” He turns suddenly and presses his hands to my burning cheeks. A kiss ignites the embers glowing in my gut and passion reeks from my skin. I lean into him, begging, begging for more.

“Slow down, now. We have plenty of time. Let's not leave out this little beauty.” He winks once more and swings his arm around her slouching shoulders.

Everything following is a drunken blur of cars and windows, doors and couches. His hands flutter into bags and lighters are lit. Smoke slithers from the end of a smoke, perhaps not a smoke. No, something more. Breathe, suck, oh yeah baby, breathe it in... His words are lost, I'm not even sure if they're said. But I do as asked and suck it up, breathe in happy. The world zooms, shakes, I'm cold.

“Matthew...” I call from the cave that is swallowing me. Gen rolls into my lap, her eyes bouncing open, closed, open... There is a smile fondling her lips. He is then beside me, his arms encircling me, cradling me.

“Baby, it's okay... It's just weed... You'll get used to it... it... it...”

It's just a bad high... bad high...

I'm so cold

my fingers my toes

i'm screaming

fighting the demons

“sick, sick, sick”

they say

please

please

my heart

hush

hush

hush

shake me wake me

can you feel the pulse

can you feel

the

the

the

you sigh

pull up the covers

lean into sleep

make it leave

stop the

stop the

stop the

stop the scream

stop the screen

can you feel it

why can you f*****g feel it

what have you done

shut up

shut the

f**k

up

youre scaring me

your eyes

dont touch me

i know what you want

i dont want to lie on the bed

i will be helpless

why cant you feel it

you did this!

Please not my shirt

please let me go

no

no

no

“dark, dark, dark”

they say

the floor

make the rattle stop

hush

shut up!

I want to go home

i cant sleep here

why 

have 

you 

done this to me

you knew

you knew

you knew

why do you smile

why do you f*****g smile

stop it

your eyes glow

im going to throw up

my eyes

they shrink into red

into a place

my throat

oh please put out the fire

“world, world, world”

hello

hello are you home

the buttons are broken

burn out are you okay

no

trip

high

bad

gone

let me go

let me sleep

why have you done this to me

no i dont want to lie on your bed

gone

gone

sleep

Reviews

[De-personalize Yourself]

I really do hope this continues. It's absolutely amazing.

[GypsyAlien3303]

Hmmm... I like this visual you gave us here. Makes me feel high just reading it. So she was the one that introduced him into their lives, wow. This chapter was powerful.

[AleyshaRosa]

Definitely. What can I say? I wrote it when I was high. Go figures. =]
Thanks as always