The Face of my Killer

I hear the storm roar outside

It is dark, and I am all alone

I think about all the possibilities

But the truth is, I hear someone

The steps are getting louder

And my heart is beating faster

I shut the door at once

And the steps have now ceased

Silence

There is nothing in the air, but air

I hold my breath

He does too

Maybe he is scared, maybe he will leave me alone

The worst, however, comes after

A screech

Deafening and terrifying

As though an owl is being skinned alive

I can’t bear it

I can’t hold it

It’s killing me

It’s going to kill me

I act first

I opened the door and run to the kitchen

The sharpest knife is at my reach

The man follows but I don’t flinch

I turned, and like butter, the knife cuts deep

There is blood

There is pain

And silence again

I fall to my knees

Confused and in shock

Why does the knife lie on my stomach?

Why am I bleeding?

I looked up at the man, unharmed

He smiles

His face is terrifying

I can’t bear it

He is me

The me I have been hiding for so long

The me the pills withhold all this time

It is free now, and it did what it was supposed to

Sleep now, he says

The pain will go away

The emptiness will fade

And we shall never suffer again