It Ends With Us

Chapter 16: Thank You

Dani

I couldn't tell them. I didn't have it in me to do it.

I didn't want to imagine how their faces would look when I break it to them.

   I made my way downstairs after saying 'Goodnight' to Juliet. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a lighter, I lit up a candle and then took it with me to help it guide me through the darkness of the house. My eyes had pretty much already adjusted to the pitch black of this house since we have been living without electricity for months, but I always felt safe having some light accompany me, I still hated the dark till this day. I've always been afraid of it since I was a kid.

   Noelle had fallen asleep on the couch, I slowly entered the bathroom and shut the door behind me quietly, locking it.

I sighed.

I placed the lit up candle on the corner of the bathroom sink. I looked at my own reflection in the mirror, dark rings were visible underneath my eyes. The pain in my left collarbone had started to get worse by each passing hour, I pulled down my collar to take another look.

There, I saw the bite. It had happened after the explosion inside the grocery store. Before Juliet could try to shoot at the sicko, he had bit into my collarbone. I had tried to stop the bleeding hours ago, but it seemed to have begun bleeding more again. Pus had started to ooze out from my wound, small boils were forming on the side of my neck, luckily Noelle and Juliet had not noticed it earlier since my hair had pretty much covered it. The bite looked horridly disgusting.

I know what's going to happen to me soon.

I cant just pretend like I'm going to feel better tomorrow, that this bite will be healed in the morning. That's not how it works, not in this messed up world.

Tears began to stream down my face. I grabbed my blade along with a sheet of paper and pen out from my pocket and placed it on the sink, I locked my eyes onto the blade. I know what I have to do.

But before I do, I have to let them know first.

  I grabbed onto the pen and began writing on the paper. I could feel my arm start to twitch a little, along with my neck. Most of my limbs had began to twitch a few hours ago after we came home. It was like I was slowly losing control of my own body.

Would I still be me once I turned? Will I still be able to be feel any consciousness whatsoever?

My hand grip began to weaken on the pencil, my handwriting was getting sloppy. Just a few more words and I can get it over with...

My body began to twitch even more, it wanted to come out. I stopped writing, it was finally finished. I folded the paper and placed it in the sink, they'll find it. I blowed out the candle, now embracing the darkness.

Now to the final part.

I grabbed the blade tightly in my hand, it was then that I realized my hand didn't want to let go. Each of my fingers were stuck to the blade, I tried to bring the weapon up to my face, but I wasn't in control anymore.

I couldn't move my body. Nor could I even try to speak or see really well.

I was trapped inside the darkness.

Juliet

I took the paper from her hand and read every word carefully...

Dear Juliet and Noelle,

                                            I'm Sorry,

        That I'm not a person anymore. I didn't want things to end this way. I wanted to tell you both but I was too scared to see you two break in front of me, soon enough you'll know the truth. I want you two to know that meeting you both has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I had always dreamt of what it would be like to have a normal family, and you two had shown me just that. You two were the family that I always needed growing up, thank you for offering that to me, for showing me that I'm not alone. It's funny, that all it took for me to live a happy life, was for the world to end right in front of me. I want you guys to keep living the life you two have always desired so much to have, please don't let my death get in the way of you two from having to discover the rest of the world. I used to think we would all be able to grow old together, I'd still want that for you two. Please don't forget me, keep me living inside your hearts everywhere you go, till the end. Maybe someday, we'll meet again.

I love you both.

                                         Thank You

I held onto the paper, my hand shaking as I read every word. I feel my lip quiver, the tears didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. I slid the note back inside my jacket, and continued to cry into my arms.

A week later

Winter wasn't getting any better, snow continued to fill the junkyard. We couldn't stay at this place anymore, we needed to move on. Me and Noelle had finished packing, leaving the house. I looked at the burial me and Noelle had made for Dani, we broke her broom stick in half to create a cross, then placed the candy bar I gave her on top of her grave.

I could no longer see out of my right eye, I know now that I was completely blind from that side. Noelle made sure I had clean bandages to switch to time to time. I was kind of already getting a little used to only having one eye to see out of. Noelle was making sure everything was ready inside the truck so we could leave. She had her hair up, wearing her black sweater like usual.

"Ready?", asks Noelle.

"Yea just give me one moment", I say. I made my way over to where we kept our graffiti cans. I picked up a purple can and went over to the school bus. I started to spray the color across the yellow bus, writing a small message.

"Alright I'm done, let's go", I yell over to Noelle. She walks over to see, a sorrowful look appears on her face. She puts a hand on my shoulder.

Noelle gives a weak smile, "Nice message, she would of loved that"

We went back to the blue truck and got in. I looked back at the junkyard one last time.

I read the purple words on the school bus and smiled sadly to myself.

We Will Live On