Authors note: I don’t think I did what the prompt said but eh Act calm. I repeated the thought every step the psychopath took. “You have 5 minutes to tell me why I shouldn’t kill you,” she spat. Act calm, I thought again. Hold on. Why was I telling myself to act calm? Why was I trying to act calm? Why was I not normally calm? BECAUSE SHE’S ABOUT TO KILL YOU, my mind answered. But maybe, I think back, maybe she’ll kill Leafa That Likes to Yap, and I won’t yap anymore. I looked her in the eye. “Quick question. How much would I have to pay you to only kill Leafa That Likes to Yap?” The girl looked at me with a look that seemed like a mix of shock, confusion, and insanity. “What?” “How much?” “You’re not going to kill me?” I gave her a confused look. “I’m the one in the chair, I can’t kill you.” The world suddenly rippled and the psychopath smiled. Her features began to change. She spoke, her voice now soft and whispery, and then I realized to my horror, she was me. “In your mind perhaps, but I’m blocking your view of reality. You’re now chained as much as I was. Good luck finding your way out.”