One Too Many

      A regular night. That’s all it was supposed to be. A few laughs, maybe a drink or two. But nothing like this. It was never supposed to turn out like this. Things were out of control in a way I’d never imagined could happen in real life, especially to me. I’d always seen this kind of thing on TV and laughed at how fake it was. But it wasn’t, at least not right now. Now it was very real. I could feel the blood pumping round my body as I sprinted up the hill waiting until I got to the top before turning and rolling back down again, knowing full well I’d have bruises, maybe even a few cuts the next day, but not caring. I could hear my friends laughing at my antics as I rolled down again.

            Once.

                  Twice.

                        Again.

      But to me that just made it all the more fun, knowing I had an audience and that they were enjoying it. I don’t know how much I drank, but I know it was too much. I could tell by the way the ground wouldn’t stay still and how the laughter that was once so distinctive in my ears had become more muffled even though I was closer to the source of it. I should have stopped earlier, I thought, as I pummelled towards the bottom of the hill. I should have stopped.

      The lights around were fading, or at least I thought so. The darkness seemed to wrap around me all of a sudden as it suddenly became colder. Colder in June, surely that wasn’t right. Unless the months had magically swapped, giggling at my new idea I tried to push myself from the cold hard mud, only for my hands to slip and for me to go crashing back to the floor.  What was wrong with me? I thought. Why couldn’t I get up? Why couldn’t I see straight? But most importantly what was that tall shadow now lurking towards me?

      My giggling died out as the shadow grew bigger, the background laughter morphing into panicked murmurs and frantic warnings. Sophie they yelled. Sophie! How did it know my name? Leave me alone! I shouted, but the soft whisper that escaped my frozen lips was going to do nothing to deter this stranger. I doubt he’d even heard it. Closer and closer it crept. My friends, where were they? Help me. I prayed. But they didn’t.

      The shadow leant down, reaching towards me. I tried to move, to roll, even squirm away from it. But nothing. I was a scared girl trapped in a body I couldn’t control. Please. Don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me. I’d thought chanting it would help me, but who was I kidding?

      I felt arms around me, tugging my limp shivering body up, and I did the first thing I could think of. I screamed bloody murder.