I can't breathe.
The darkness is crawling limply in all directions to me.
The path is rotting, vines slithering beneath my feet, the branches of the trees tangling their spiny limbs into my hair and dress.
The whispers though.
They scream and moan in agony the hauntings that have befallen them.
I walk faster.
The path starts to crack. The voices slither out, wrapping around my ankles.
I scream as the tear through my leggings and scrape at my skin, blood bubbling to the surface of my ankles.
Helphelphelppleaseanyonehelppleasehelppleasepleasemakeitstopmakeitstop

Darkness closes around me as I scream bloody murder as they fill my lungs with horrors beyond believe
I feel them tearing everywhere, my face, my hands, my whole body

Why won't they stop?

stop

Stop

STOP IT!!!!!

Everything goes quiet.

I'm on my knees, and I can feel my blood dribbling down my face.
The vines still cut into me.
I try to move.
Barely.
I turn my head and my eyes meet a mirror.
This ones an antique. The glass has rust on it from the copper that's holds it.
But that's not what makes my blood run cold

A girl is staring back at me

No not a girl a monster

It's black hair is tangles with vines, thorns weaved into its hair like a halo, stabbing into its forehead, black blood running into Its right eye.
The rest of it is cover with the darkness.
It's eyes are wide open staring back at me.

Don't look into her right eye Koneko,

For if you do you will forever be cursed...

It's eye is black
Red blood is dribbling down it like tears

Why?

Don't look

Who said that?

It's pupil is...

Red like the color of your blood when I spill it

Just you wait Koneko....

--------------

I'm suddenly looking up at the trees
I sit up and look around.
The Red forest is the same as always, colorful and beautiful as always
I feel the path beneath me.
Smooth, not cracked at all.
No vines either.
The mirrors are all clean and crisp, not creepy at all.
Birds chirp nearby and a cool breeze hits my back.
No-

Just a dream.

Something knocks against my hand and I look down.
It's a shard of glass?
I pick it up and hold it in my palm.
It's rusted, with smudges of something on it. I bring it closer and sniff.
Blood.
My normal reflection states wide eyes back at me, the other covered by my bangs. I'm safe.

As I laugh at myself black goo oozes from the sides of the shard and onto my reflection.
It wraps itself throughout my body, crawling up my face and under my bangs into my eye. My shadow before me spreads out taller, thinner, more dangerous.

I start to feel wild and crazy- the darkness is getting to my head
The shard of glass slips from my hand and like slow motion it shatters into a thousand pieces into the cracked path
This is your worst nightmare
I
Want
To kill

Anything
Something
Please
Don't stop

Killpleasekillsomeonesomthingkillsomethinganythingyoumedontstopeverkill

It appears from the ground.
Shiny and sharp my axe
Clean from the kill last time
My baby
I pick it up and swing it up into the air.

I look straight ahead the blood pumping into my head about to explode if I didn't slice something open right now

The birds have stopped chirping
.........

Silence in the woods
I like it that way

Welcome back Koneko