Take a Drag, Babe

Take a Drag, Babe

Take another drag, babe.

Watch the smoke as it spirals up, curls, twists and then vanishes. You know it's bad for you, but you don't care. You know your body heals itself without you wanting to, so dying of lung cancer, much less getting lung cancer, is just one of those pointless hopes for you.

So many people would kill to be you. So many people dream of being immortal, never dying. Never dying.

But you don't. How fair is it to you? But they never thought so. You were just another experiment, darling.

The smoke spirals up, vanishes as quickly as you exhale it. Just one more, you think as your hand touches the pack... and you%u2019re so disgusted at yourself. You try to put the cigarette down, but you don%u2019t want to.

You promised, echoes a voice in your head. Just block it out. You haven%u2019t had a cigarette in two months. You want it, you crave it. You need it.

Flick the lighter, inhale again. Exhale slowly through your lips, the smoke curls around the tip of the cigarette, mocking you as it disappears into the air.

Clutch the crucifix around your neck. Whisper a prayer.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace...

What do you pray for?

Blood-stained, sinful.

And you wonder, but you already know.

So go ahead, take another drag, because you know the smoke won't clear your head, because you know it won't bring anything back, because it's the only thing that keeps you sane.