"No sleep in California because these hills have eyes and they're looking for you."
~ Poorstacy "Hills Have Eyes"
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PROLOGUE
The eerie silence of the night haunted Erika Willis as she drove down the quiet road. Despite the hour, the road, normally busy, was empty. The empty night air hung low and ominous in the sky, making it seem later than it actually was.
She turned the wheel gently as the road began to curve, running a hand through her wild hair. She was glad the road was empty, devoid of the flashing red and blue lights that she was used to seeing. In her current state, she would probably scare the hell out of any cop who pulled her over.
Her hair was tangled and wild, the left side of her face bloodied and already bruising. Her nails, which had stopped bleeding by now, were nothing more than ragged stumps. Blood clotted in her matted hair. She was scarcely clothed, wearing only a tank top and a pair of shorts, her feet bare. Ignoring the chill, her windows were down. Her free hand held a cigarette to her swollen lips.
A frightening sight, indeed. She gripped the steering wheel as hard as her fractured hand would allow her, gritting her teeth. Her head throbbed but she ignored it.
She tossed the cigarette out of the window and turned the radio dial, the music blared. She settled back into the seat.
"They're right around the corner. I've been trying to figure my life out since I fell apart."
She had only a dim idea as to where she was going. Her phone was broken, cracked in half, the GPS wouldn't be able to work. She grimaced as a bolt of pain shot through her hand. Wincing in pain she reached for the small bottle in the cupholder. Opening the bottle with her right hand, she raised the bottle to her mouth and shook several of the pills into her mouth, washing them down with the bottle of liquor beside her.
She had the sensation of fire washing over her, she broke into a cold sweat, her body shivering uncontrollably. Her pupils dilated slightly and her breathing slowed.
"People act strange in the Hollywood hills. Living in fame getting high on pills"
Her vision became fuzzy. Her grip on the wheel loosened as her body went completely numb. Her mind grew slow, her thoughts dampened from the drugs. Her body struggled as her brain shut down, trying to remember how to breathe. Her heartbeat slowed.
The car moved dangerously, moving in and out of the lane she was in. She gripped the wheel tightly, biting her lip as hard as she could. The taste of blood filled her mouth. The black spots clouding her vision slowly ebbed away. Gradually, she came back to reality, focusing only on her headlights, which danced in front of her.
She reached for the radio and turned the knob, letting the sound increase to the point where she could feel the vibrations in her skull. Staring at the road, she ran against all time, chasing her headlights into the dead of night.