Worse Than Death

Alyssa North woke with a jolt from a terrifying dream. One word echoed in her mind: Rachel. She lifted herself from her bed and ventured into Rachel's bedroom, hoping pathetically that she'd be there again. She wasn't, of course. It had been years since Alyssa's little sister had been in her room, slept in her bed or played with her toys. The room was now dusty, untouched, and uncleaned. It had been that way since her death.

Sighing, Alyssa turned to leave the room when she heard a whisper. "Why?" it rasped sadly.

"I don't know," Alyssa whispered back. She'd been hearing the voices for a long time and even though she knew that they were just inside her head, they creeped her out and she answered them every time.

Shaking her head, Alyssa raced out of Rachel's old bedroom, returning to her own room for a good night's sleep. What had messed up her life so much? That could be answered in one word, one letter. X. X was the murderer who had killed Rachel and wreaked havoc on my life.

The North family had been at a movie when Rachel was eight. Everyone was excited to see the new premeire, so nobody noticed X sneak up behind Rachel. X pulled out his gun, took aim, and shot Rachel in the neck. Rachel dropped dead immediatly. Kids were crying, others were clueless, many adults were huddled around Rachel, wondering if she was dead or not. In the midst of it all, X was able to escape.

Alyssa shuddered at the memory, pulled the quilt over her body, and went to sleep

~ ~ ~

The next morning, Alyssa threw on an outfit and caught the bus to go to school.