5:00 AM. It was the perfect time of day. It was the time of day that only the unwilling or the damaged saw.

The unwilling saw it because they were forced to leave for business trips, swim meets or a long weekend. The damaged saw it because this is the only time quiet enough to hear the inner monsters, the dark passengers, the whispering temptress.

River woke at this time every morning. He was in high school so I'll assume he woke at this hour to take the opportunity to sit quietly and listen to what his mind had to tell him.

His best friend Vince told him last year that he took a shower each morning with the lights off. Vince told River he liked to cut himself but no one could know otherwise they would send him away. Vince said he was just doing what his brain told him to. So, at dawn in the shower, with the lights off, Vince would take the blades from his pencil sharpener and cut the inside of his thighs. No one saw the cuts. Vince showed River once. Vince died six months ago.
River started to wonder after he threw a handful of dirt on Vince's coffin if he had a voice in his head. An inner monster, a dark passenger, a whispering temptress. It was three months and two days ago River discovered he had a piece of hell in him. He didn't know how he knew it was a piece of hell. He just knew. Nothing this dark could come from anywhere else.

River started taking showers. He didn't do anything at first, just stood in the stream of water. One day he decided to use only hot water. But the piece of hell wasn't satisfied. One day River decided to cut his face when he shaved, just a little. But the piece of hell wasn't satisfied. One day River decided to play by the train tracks. But the piece of hell wasn't satisfied. One day River decided he didn't like the piece of hell in him so he decided to scare the hell out of him. And hell loves a challenge. One day River decided to jump off a bridge, and as he jumped, he was scared. He could tell hell was scared. But as the ground reached to embrace him he realized he couldn't scare the piece of hell out of him. One day River decided to give up. But hell is never satisfied.