Isolation

Alone

Mike woke up to find that he was alone. It was completely silent.

"Guys?" He called out. Something was frightening about the stillness of it all. He stood up on shaky feet and began to look around.

"Micky? Davy? Peter? Anyone?"

He searched around, opening every door, looking but finding no one.

"Hello?" He hurried upstairs, hoping to find anything. But nothing was there.

"Come on, guys. This innit funny!"

Mike was beginning to panic. He sat on one of the steps to try and catch his breath before continuing his search.

"Guys?" He called out, now desperate. "Please, where'd you go?"

Somehow, despite passing by it several times, Mike never seemed to notice the crinkled note on the kitchen table.

"They must've run off somewhere." Mike decided, taking in a deep breath and sitting down.

They left you. A familiar voice said in the back of his mind. They're better off without you, and you know it.

"Leave me alone, will ya please?" He responded aloud.

Think about it. Peter's a better musician. Davy's better-looking. Micky's funnier and more charming. And what are you, Michael? You're no one.

"I don't believe you. They wouldn't have stuck with me if I was a nobody."

That's why they always leave you. All you do is hold them back.

"If I was really a bother, they would've told me."

No, they wouldn't have. Because they're too nice and too phony to admit it. They only pretend to care. The only reason they 'care' is because they pity you. Poor, poor, Michael.

"SHUT UP!" Mike screamed and held his head in his hands, which was now pounding with pain and anxiety. He tried to catch his breath as he thought about it all. It couldn't be true, could it? He wasn't thinking straight. Of course, it wasn't true. He loved the guys, and they loved him, too. Didn't they? He was doubting and second-guessing himself. They did care, right? Well, it did make sense for them to only hang around with Mike out of pity or some moral duty. It also made sense to them to keep him around because he had nowhere else to go, too.

His head was hurting so badly that he physically couldn't think straight. Without a second thought, Mike grabbed the kitchen knife and held it close. He was about to make his way to the bedroom before it all went dark, and he suddenly collapsed onto the floor.