short story by samantha warden

maybe i should pack my bags and go. i think the shadows of my past are finally catching up to me. my life is finally ending with sorrow. the thought of not being here in the morning isn't as scary now. i just need to be careful, the monsters are creeping around the corner and they're gunning for me. i need to learn to fight back, i need to learn to breath and speak. i can feel my heart turning black. i need to just wash my face, wash my hands, wash this feeling from my body. i wish i could wash my soul, i need to wash my imperfections and my impurities.

i need to be careful, the monsters are coming down the hallway, they've picked up the pace. i can't be safe forever. you cant keep me safe forever. ive been through my extra lives and now i just have this one, however damage it may be. i just need to run, run back, run back to the beginning and run this monster down. i need to catch it and recapture my soul. i sold it a long time ago, to this beautiful monster.

he laughs. he laughs at my ignorance. i salute him because he is my master. he bargained for my soul long before i had a chance to discover it's value. that's his way, that's how he survives. the brutality of his world mingles in the innocence of ours and he takes us for all we are worth. he has no morals, he needs no morals, he lives his life and sees all evil. he steals, cheats, lies to get what he wants then he throws it all away because it's the chase that gives him the thrill.

i finally found him. to his misfortune he hadnt eaten it yet; he was saving me for desert. now i have to run. i have to run and now i'm hiding, i'm hiding my soul from him, i'm not giving in. i'm learning to breakdown and live because that's what i have to do, thats what i need to do. all life represents angels, angels with enemies, and i'm on the run from mine. i am safely hidden between satisfaction and content, but i'm not settled, i'm not done chasing, i'm not through running, i'm not finished dreaming, i'm simply playing it safe, for now.