a letter to ashleigh

to my best friend, from ella

dearest ashleigh...

we were five when we first met at the playground, remember the one down the road in Sunset Park?

we used to have so much fun, spending hour after hour pretending we were space astronauts floating far out in space, or archeologists digging for artefacts in the grounds of Machu Picchu, or explorers in the Amazon rainforest.

i miss those times, ashleigh. where we were young and innocent. where we didn't have a care in the world. where we could continue this cycle of play, go home, repeat.

in elementary school and middle school, whether it was rain or shine, you would always show up at my front door with a grin on your face and playfully rush me out of the house for classes. i felt so blessed to have a friend like you. you always greeted me with a smile on your face, and you have no idea how much it helped made my day just seeing you.

i suddenly recall the time where we watched a few Youtube videos and decided to play a couple of pranks on our friends. oh boy, those times were probably one of the best times i spent with you! we were absolutely merciless, and used every single chance to prank everyone and anyone. i still have that "Supreme Prank Kit 9000" under my bed to remind myself of the amazing times we had.

but the best thing about you, is that you were always there for me. every little milestone in my life had your presence.

when i got my first period, you were the one who comforted me and ran to the nurses' office to bring me pads (you know me haha, i was very afraid of seeing blood in the toilet bowl).

when i broke up with my first boyfriend in fifth grade, you were the one who endured night after night of my crying, and chuckled when i schemed to bring him down for cheating on me with that freshman veronica. till this day i still can't forgive him for being such a jerk.

the night before our first day of high school, you climbed through my bedroom window and cuddled with me for the entire night because the doctor had diagnosed me with a serious anxiety disorder, and you were worried for me.

those were the bestest times of my life.

then came the plague. the plague that took the lives of so many around us. people raided supplies in supermarkets, there were dead people just lying on the street because the government just too busy. electricity and water sources were constantly down, and everyone was distrustful of one another.

people turned against each other and started fighting for supplies, it was really a case of "every man for himself". our parents were killed by a bomb that hit their offices, and we were one of the few survivors left in that terrible game.

i'm writing this letter to you, because i have to make this heartbreaking decision to leave you. remember the Infected that attacked us yesterday and gave me a few scratches? i suspect that i'm going to become one. my skin started to become blue and itchy, and my body has been aching in much pain. i had to hide it from you to make sure that you don't worry.

i don't want to leave you here, ashleigh. you're my only source of strength and happiness. you deserve so much more, that's why i'm making the decision to leave you, and to leave Sunset Valley, so i don't hurt you, or anyone else. i'll have to make sure that when i finally succumb to the plague, i don't end up becoming like the Infected. i'll find somewhere to trap myself, somewhere to seal myself from the world, and i'll take down as many Infected as i can on my journey.

the Infected are growing in numbers sharply and becoming more powerful. please be very careful, and please don't try to find me. i know it's going to be difficult to resist trying to bring me back to the shelter, but please just leave me be. i don't want to hurt you by accident.

ashleigh, i love you and trust that you know that i only mean well. please take good care of yourself, and maybe we'll one day wake up and realise this was just a nightmare after watching a horror movie, and we'll be able to start senior year very soon.

i love you so much that words can't express how much i'm grateful for having you in my life.

i guess i'll see you in my next life then, goodbye, my dearest ashleigh. know that even though i'm not by your side, i'll always be in your heart.

yours sincerely,

your bestest friend in the world,

ella