• Laura peered up at the hazy sky, feeling like she'd been plowed over by a train. What happened?

    All she remembered was sticking the knive into the ground. How'd she end up here? James.

    Maybe he'd played a trick on her. Although, waking up in a alleyway isn't much of a good joke. She sat up and rubbed the top of her head.

    How long had she passed out? Dimly, she stood up and staggered out. People swerved out of her veiw, as though they couldn't see her.

    A shop filled with turned on TV's blared the local news.

    "This morning, a boy clarified by his parents as James Riley was found dead in an alleyway." A perky young woman said, almost swallowing the microphone in the process.

    "No evidence of murder as come to the surface, and until now, we must assume he died of natural causes."

    Laura stared off into space. It couldn't be. . .James dead? But. . .Her thoughts trailed away, as she groped back into her memory for something. All that came to mind was the picture of a boy in his teens.

    It wasn't James, or anyone she knew. He did look familiar, but nothing stood out about the boy. All she could feel was hate.

    Laura shrugged it off. She didn't even know the boy. How could she hate him? James' death didn't seem to bother her nearly as much as it should. She realized her clothes were dirty and ripped.

    She was in the middle of the city.

    "HOLY CRAP!" Laura screamed, suddenly breaking out into a feverish run. Home. Her mom. How long had she passed out? A couple hours, or days? She picked up her speed.

    Unable to stop at a crosswalk, she smashed right into a frail looking elderly lady. Laura almost flew backwards into the middle of the street.

    "YOU FILTHY STREET URCHIN!" The lady advanced, swinging a dangerous paisley yellow bag, a holding a even more life threatening pastel blue and green stripe umbrella in front of her like a spear.

    Laura held up her hands, trying to get as far away from this old nutter as possible.

    "TRY GETTING INTO SCHOOL! DON'T STEAL MONEY FROM HAPLESS OLD LADIES!" She screamed like a banshee, the umbrella nearly taking out Laura's eyes.

    Panicked, she got up. She had to get home. In one reckless move, Laura pushed the old lady and other bystanders away and ran at top speed. To her greatest surprise, when she looked around, the elderly lady was in pursuit of her.

    Charging, with the umbrella held straight out in front of her in one hand, and swinging the ugly bag in the other.

    What was worse, she was gaining on Laura, who wasn't in much condition to run in the first place.

    "You. crazy. old. nutty. sloth!" Laura hissed.

    Just then, a car with a bent fender pulled over to the side of the road. Laura was trying to work a stitch out of her side. A strong hand reached out and grabbed Laura by the wrist.

    Quickly she was heaved into the car. The old lady was screaming and following as they pulled away and drove off at top speed.

    Laura peeked out of the side mirror, incredibly pleased to see the old hag fall behind.

    "Youwilldieoncewearehome." A very evil sounding voice came from beside Laura's ear. She shriveled up, into a very small unrecognizable ball, when a sudden blast of fast memories rushed at her.

    Struggle. . . blood. . .hurt. . .help.

    Laura's eyes filled with a unfathomable light, that cast an eerie glow around the inside the car.

    "DIE." She hissed at the shocked lady, and suddenly retched the wheel out of her hand. The car swerved, and with a sudden sqealch of tires, flashes of metal and blood, Laura's eyes dimmed.

    The light was gone. But. . .she'd killed the wrong person.