COLBY
"C-c-colby" I hear Sam whimper. We had just been running from what we think was a murderer, judging from the screams of bloody murder. I turn to my best friend.
"You okay?" I ask him, panting from all the running we did.
"S-somethings behind me" he stutters, frozen to the spot with fear.
"SAM!" I scream as an arm wraps around him and punctures his chest with a knife. Blood fills his mouth and he coughs it out before collapsing. I catch him before he hits the ground and immediately take off my shirt to hold it on the wound.
"C-col-" *cough* more blood exits his mouth as I cradle him in my arms.
"shhh you're okay Sammy" I say comfortingly, trying not to cry for his sake.
"HOLY SHIT SAM!" I hear Corey shout as he comes running over, Jake following.
"W-what happened!?" Jake says, tears filling his eyes. Corey pulls out his phone and dials 911.
"Sam just stay awake, help is on the way" I run my fingers through his hair, my other hand on his wound.
He groans and wheezes as I apply more pressure to hopefully stop the bleeding.
"I'm tired..." he groans, that being the only thing his body is allowing him to. He moves his bloody hand up to my head and pulling it down, kissing it gently; not in a romantic way, in a comforting way, before whispering in my ear, "I'm so proud of you"
"No Sam stay with me!" I start to sob as he gets more and more pale. Sirens blare in the distance as Sam closes his eyes, no signs of life coming from his body.
"Sammy!" I fully break down in tears as I hold my best friends lifeless body in my arms. Jake wraps his arms around me before the ambulance pulls up. I carry Sam over to the stretcher, wanting him to get help as quickly as possible. They put on an oxygen mask and started cpr as I just watched, sobbing to the point where my knees buckled. After around 5 minutes, a paramedic came over.
"I'm sorry" she says before walking away. I scream and sob as I watch my best friends dead body be zipped up in a bag. Jake and Corey squeezed me tightly as I cried out Sam's name.
I'm so proud of you.
It's been a few weeks since Sam's death and the incident just replays in my head whenever I try to close my eyes. I hadn't slept or eaten or showered in days and I was struggling. Jake and Corey were too but they still had there life together, mine fell apart the day Sam died.
"How to live without you" I sob into my pillow. I hadn't stopped crying since the day he had been announced dead. His funeral was tomorrow and I had to organise the full thing. Of course I did, for Sam. It also meant that it was really delayed, as the first few weeks I physically couldn't do anything. I had give a speech as well in front of his whole family and all of our friends. I hadn't written it yet and I had around 10 hours until the ceremony. That may seem like a long time but when it's your best friend's funeral that you've known since 14, it's nothing. I hear a light knock at my door.
"Colby?" A voice says softly before going silent and waiting for a response. "I'm unsure if you are awake or not but if you are, you need to come out for the funeral, for him" the emphasis on him makes me want to sob. I remain silent, tears dripping down my face. I hear footsteps walk away before breaking down into Sam's pillow. I stole it from his room, along with all his hoodies, even though they are too small, his duvet, his sheets, etc; it all smelt like him. I finally get out of bed for the first time since his death. I go over to my desk and pull out a blank peice of paper, writing stuff down that I can use in my speech. I need to make this perfect. For him.
It was finally time to leave.
"Colbs? Are you ready to go?" A voice echos up the stairs. I fold the paper neatly in my pocket and walk downstairs. I had finally showered and gotten dressed up into a suit, wearing Sam's shirt and after shave as it smelt exactly like him. Once I see Jake in the kitchen, he runs up to hug me tightly. His eyes were all poofy from crying, just like mine, and he has insane eyebags, just like me. We got in the car and drove in silence to the ceremony. The atmosphere was dull and depressing, as you would expect at a funeral. I saw Sam's family, his mother in tears wrapped in his dad's arms. I saw Ben too and waved, smiling solemly. He just stares back at me so I invite him over. Looking at his red face, I hug him, tightly squeezing him as he sobs quietly. He smelt like Sam. He hugged like Sam. He looked like Sam.
"It's okay" I whisper, sobbing myself. "It's okay"
"Dear friends and family, we gather here today in grief and love to remember the life of Samuel Golbach and to support one another during this difficult time. As we come together, let us take a moment to offer a prayer of comfort, healing, and strength" the priest begins. I tune him out as he chats on, worrying about my speech. I wanted it be perfect. For his mom, his dad, Ben, Allison and of course, him.
"Now some words from someone who was very dear to Sam" That was my queue. I stand up and walk towards the stage, positioning myself at the microphone. I pull out my paper, unfolding it as a clear my throat.
"Sam was my best friend" I gulp, trying not a break down in tears. My hands shake as I grip the paper tightly, before crumpling it up and shoving it into my pocket. I being my hands up to the microphone, carrying on with what I started.
"Sam was my best friend, more than that, my soulmate. He was everything to me. He made me the person I am today. Without him, I probably wouldn't even be here today. He saved me in multiple ways both physically and mentally. I've known him since I was 14. He was my other half. He's pulled me out of countless depressions, saved my life from cancer, been there for me for as long as I can remember and I don't know how to live without him. In 2023, I was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't know what to do, how to cope, how to help it; I was lost. He was by my side for every second of it. Literally every second. I did something called cold capping to save my hair, and every half an hour, all day everyday, he had to come and change my ice cap. He spent all his nights driving around to find ice for me so I could keep cold capping and then got home to drive me to all my hospital appointments every single day. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to say that I beat cancer. I thought maybe one day I'd be able to repay him, but here we are today. That man was my best friend and he was an amazing human for that. He died in my arms, his last words being 'I'm so proud of you'. I will never forget those words. He was like a brother to me. A big brother that taught me about life and how to overcome it. He was there with me when I faced my biggest fears, he helped me to push myself put of my comfort zone, he got arrested with me, he even took on the challenge of social media with me. I will never forget him. I will never forget everything he has done for me. That man was a hero. I loved him more than anything. I still do. He may not be with us now but may he forever be in our hearts. Onward and Upward"
