The Suppression (Based On The Purge)

Epilogue (Part 2)

Daisies. Daisies were always her favorite. I gently lay them on her grave. It's been my weekly ritual, ever since they lowered her body into the ground. It's been a month and the pain still feels fresh, especially here. But it feels worse being away from her, and this is as close as I can get. I stare at her headstone until I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Colby walking toward me. I haven't seen him since my funeral, when he passed me a note that said I had to take Hazel's place, since according to the government, Lacey is dead. I've had to enroll into a new school as her. None of my friends could know. That's why Hazel is buried under a gravestone that reads my name.

"I was gonna wait until you left, but you've been here for almost an hour."

Really? I've been here for that long?

"What do you want?"

"What's it look like?" He holds up a bouquet of daisies.

"You let her die." It comes out of nowhere. Colby freezes, the hurt registering on his face. He shakes his head. "She called me and begged me to help her, and I came over to try to stop her. She pointed a gun at me and said if I didn't help, she'd shoot me. I knew she meant what she said. You could see it in her eyes. She said I had to. I owed her for what I did that night. She asked me 'If you had the chance to save your dad, would you?'" He gulps.

"How did you do it? Is that why it was so easy to escape?"

He takes a step forward. "The plan relied on you escaping. We just helped you."

"How?"

"We knocked out the guards. She took your place. Everyone always said you two could pass for twins, so all it took was some hair dye and makeup and they were fooled." His face gets serious. "I tried so hard to stop her, believe me. I love her, too." A tear streaks down his face.

I realize that he's also been in pain. I wasn't the only one suffering, wishing I was the one in the ground instead of her. Now I start crying.

"Hey," he closes the space between us and wraps his arms around me. "She gave you a second chance at life. You can't waste it. You have to live it, for her."

He's right.