Anxiety is a broken piano key. A person always seems to be hitting keys right, until that one moment builds up to the wrong key. That wrong note that fills the room. They tell you to fix that key, but fixing it comes with a price; symptoms.

My hands tremble on the wheel, I can barely see out my windshield. The midnight sky cries heavy rain. I can hear it slapping my windows, rubbing against my tires, yet I keep my speed at fifty miles per hour.

I need to get as far away from here as possible. I don't care if I have to sleep in my car for the rest of my life, but I'm getting out of here. With each passing minute, I get flashes of what took place moments ago. I can still feel his hands squeezing around my neck, my hair being pulled like a dead lotus from dirt.

My body still aches from being thrown to the ground. My hair smells of pure liquor, the smell that constantly reminds me that abuse is near. My father is near. His alcohol scented breath leaves a trace of constant beatings and yelling. I've been living in a tainted home, but tonight . . . I'm running.

He almost broke my bones tonight, the way he dug his fat fingers into my shoulder. I felt pinches in my veins. His wrapped hands around my neck felt like vines that I could never untangle. I had to run away. I'm twenty four and I cannot bare to live with my parents anymore.

My mother cannot do anything to help me. She's terrified of him, I can see the constant games of hide and go seek in her eyes, and she's always the one hiding, praying he won't finishing counting. I had to leave her behind because all she does is let me take the fall. She tells him my hiding spots to save herself; no more. I'm running and this anxiety is running through my veins as I try to make it somewhere, anywhere, alive.

My car begins to make weird rumbling sounds, I get spooked and pull over on the side of the road. My dashboard lights begin to flicker and my car shuts off.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I run my hands through my hair and sigh.

I try turning the key in the ignition, but my car only makes buzzing sounds, following the flickering of my dashboard light. I hit my dashboard and step out of my car and into the pouring rain.

If there is one thing that I know nothing about, it's cars. I won't even attempt to open the hood. I reach in my car for my wallet and my black hoodie. I then lock the door.

"Guess I'm walking from here," I say softly to myself. I place my chilled arms through the sleeves of my jacket and lift the hood over my head.

I begin to walk forward. Chills run down my spine and my hair is falling in my face.

"Ah, it's so cold," I complain to myself.

I press my lips together, searching for a sign or a nearby town. I look to my side and see a sign in the distance. I fasten my speed and can actually read the sign now.

"Ebry Shores," I say to myself.

It is about a mile walk from me. I begin to run, I need to get out of this rain. I need to find some abandoned place or somewhere with a roof above me. I don't care where, but I need to find shelter before I freeze or catch a cold.

After running for a good distance I stop to catch my breath. I see a town filled with corner stores and alleyways, but there are barely any cars on the road. I saw two pass by. It's quiet and dim.

I start to walk on the sidewalk and hear a strained yelp.

"Make her shut up!" I hear a heavy voice shout.

My eyes widen and I follow the voice. I peek behind a building and almost gasp, but I cover my mouth to hide the sound. I see four people dressed in all black with different Japanese hannya masks on.

The one with the red one says, "Sorry that it had to come to this." He takes out a gun and I can see the pain and fear in the victim's eyes. She looks so young and helpless. Her eyes are like a swamp, one that could trap people, but all it wants is company, but her eyes radiate pure loneliness.

"Hurry up," the one with the white masks says. Her voice sounds pained, as if she doesn't want this to happen.

I need to do something, but I'm frozen, fearing for my own life.

The gun goes off and I cannot hold my scream back. It is a loud yelp and I jump, hiding my body behind the building. The sound was so heart numbing. I could feel it breaking into my ears and causing an uproar in my brain.

"What was that?" I hear a male voice say. "Find the person!"

I immediately begin to run. I cannot believe all of this is happening to me in one night. Abuse, running away, and now witnessing the murder of a young girl! I look back and do not see anyone following me. Strange, someone should have been at the spot I was in by now. When I look in front of me I see someone in a silver hannya mask. I nearly fall, but I catch myself.

"Shortcut," a male voice says as he tilts his head.

"I won't say anything," my voice trembles as I back away slowly. "I'm a runaway, a no one. I'm just passing by."

The other three catch up to him and stare me down.

"Then it won't matter if you die," the one with the red masks says as he holds out his gun.

I gasp and turn, I begin to run, but I feel a bullet go straight through my back. My mouth opens and a shallow breath comes through. I fall to my knees, then completely on the ground. I feel a tight sensation all throughout my back. I bite my lips and try to catch my breath. I look up at the one that shot me and he tilts his head.

"You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," he aims the gun at my head and once I see his finger pull the trigger, it all goes dark.