Splish. Splash. Splish. Splash. Rain fell heavily as a wind started to blow. A young girl emerged from the old, rundown library. Years of poor care and other damage vitiated the structure. The girl had long, flowing black hair with a frail figure and always wore baggy clothes with heavy makeup. The hoi polloi called her ‘that strange girl’. Her awkwardness and appearance were symptomatic of an outcast. Her name was Ellie Darkness. Ellie found anything sweet and maudlin sickening to her stomach. She was not like the other girls in town who acted extremely preppy. Ellie spent most of her time in the library to escape reality. As she went down a cul de sac, she heard a strange noise.

Ellie ignored the sound, passing it off as some animal. She continued down the street, kicking rocks. Laughter filled her ears. Looking across the street, she saw a group of girls. Ellie despised them with a passion. They were the most popular girls in school and made Ellie’s life traumatic. They bruited false rumors about her constantly for fun. None of the girls, especially the leader Amber, felt any remorse for their actions. Ellie found it bilious and infuriating. Admittedly, she was tendentious and found all preppy girls to be the same. They stopped their conversation in medias res and threw Ellie contemptuous looks. She ignored them, not wanting to start a fight. Amber had an affinity for causing trouble. Ellie turned the corner, entering a dark alleyway.

She continued to hear that strange noise. “It’s just a cat. Nothing else” she repeatedly told herself. She knocked into someone, causing her to hit the ground. There was a hooded figure in front of her. “Sorry” The figure simply stared at her, saying nothing. Ellie began to feel uncomfortable and got up. She had prescience that this was a troubling situation. Instead of waiting there, she continued down the alley. She heard the loud footsteps. In a reflection from a car mirror, she saw the figure following her. Ellie began to run as fast as she possibly could. She was maladroit when it came to running, a reason that she failed gym. Ellie ensconced herself behind a diaphanous curtain near the movie theater. She held her breath, hoping the mysterious figure would leave her alone. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth. She struggled against the figure’s grasp. They dragged her down to the forest. As Ellie cried out for help, the figure tortured her to no end. There was blood seeping into the grass. Ellie attempted to crawl away but the pain was unbearable. She felt everything start to go blurry. The figure let their hood fall, revealing Amber. Ellie was at a loss for words, finding this ineffable. She knew Amber disliked her. How could she do something like this to her? Amber kicked her stomach hard. Ellie let out her final breath as everything went dark.

Amber immured Ellie’s lifeless body in a trash bag. She put it into the river. A smirk spread across her face as she watched the bag sink. Over the next few days, some began to wonder about Ellie’s disappearance. The police searched everywhere and finally found her body deep down the river. They had no suspects or leads. The sacrosanct church held her funeral. The priest gave the obsequies as Ellie’s mother cried on her husband’s shoulder. “Ellie was a misunderstood girl. Her classmates constantly browbeated her about her awkwardness but Ellie never stood up for herself. She was insouciant and had a different style and panache than most. Hopefully, we will never forget how she touched each of our lives differently. One can only hope that her murderer is caught soon” As he continued to speak, Amber stood with her friends, smirking. Ellie’s casket was lowered into the ground. Men poured dirt on the casket. However, no one knew Ellie was still alive, just barely. They couldn’t her hear screams as she was buried alive.