Gone in an instant

Chapter 13: Sunday, 5:45 AM

I woke up feeling nauseated. I was sapped of all strength and my head was spinning like a Ferris wheel. I rolled over so that I was face-up. The front of my pant leg was soaked in blood, along with the dirt and grass where I had slept/been unconscious. The bleeding had stopped but I knew that wouldn't last. I looked around the area to see if I could find anything to wrap my leg in, I would need my shirt intact, the nights could get cold. I noticed a small white piece of paper. I reached for it and read it. It said,

Where your whole adventure began,

You'll find your next clue in the sand,

to save the ones you really love,

You'll have to find the purple dove.

Grandpa.

He found me? How? When? The police had my family! How could he...no. It wasn't possible! He had somehow hired the police? No. That didn't make sense. Maybe they were fakes. I don't know. I do know what the note means though. Behind our house in the woods there is a small creek and sand everywhere. When we were younger we had found a dove that had died. It was purple, probably from some circus or something. We had buried it in the sand next to a huge boulder we had written our names on. We even had a small funeral for it. I had to get there. But how? I couldn't walk. I had no supplies. No car. Nothing. But everyone I live for depends on me getting there. So I will.

I looked around more. There was nothing in sight that was useful. I couldn't believe it. It was devastating. Nothing. My leg began to hurt again. I ignored it though. But the pain was unbearable. The weight of the world seemed to be crushing me. I began to feel tired. Maybe I should just rest. Just a little. Yes. I should...I shou...sleep.

Dreaming

I woke up in a beautiful forest. My leg was fine. I heard laughter. I began moving towards it. I recognized it. It was my families. I began to run. Then I heard laughter coming from behind me. This time it was Charlotte. I froze for a second. Not knowing which way to run. Then the forest became darker. It was horrifying. The trees twisted into evil shapes. I started to run. Then I saw men. Men running after me. Chasing me. Then I heard a gunshot and my leg started burning.

I snapped awake. My leg burning. I was shocked to see my surroundings had changed. I wasn't in a clearing anymore. I was in a hospital. I looked around, there was a nurse walking passed the room. I called to her. She quickly came to my bedside, “Yes?” She said kindly. “H-how did I get here? Where am I?” I asked frantically. “You're in the hospital, a hiker found you yesterday lying in a clearing. What happened to you? Boys your age don't just get a gunshot wound from nothing.” She answered, still with a kind tone. But what if this was all set up too? What's real? What isn't? Her tone made me trust her. I pretended not to know what happened, I pretended to be scared and somewhat crazy, “I-he-they-the men did it! They hunted me! They're after me! I have to leave! I have to leave now!” I screamed, acting panicked. She nodded. “Calm down, you need rest. You lost a lot of blood. We're lucky we found you when we did.” She said, “I have to go now. I'll check on you soon. If you need anything just ask.” She said and left. I smiled at how well my acting worked.

I couldn't stay here. I had to leave. But how? I scrambled out of bed and began walking, that's when I realized something was wrong. I could walk. I looked at my leg. There was nothing wrong with it! Then all of the sudden it tore open, back into the horrible mess it was. It sent the biggest shock wave of pain I'd ever experienced through my body ever. Then I woke up.

Awake

My leg still hurt. Really badly actually. I wanted to scream in pain. But I didn't. I decided to try and crawl to the forest. The maybe I could find a stick that I could use as a crutch. I began army crawling. My leg felt ready to explode. I gritted my teeth and kept moving. It took me 15 minutes to reach the edge of the forest even though it was only like 150 feet away. I took a break and let my leg cool down from pain. After ten or so minutes I began my search.

It took me two and a half hours of searching to find one. I slowly got up, using a tree for support. The stick was a perfect Y shape but it was tall enough to sit my armpit in the middle of the V shape. I put arm in and began hopping on my left foot. My right leg dragging across the ground. It still hurt, but not as much. After about an hour and a half I emerged in a small suburb. I began wandering the streets, hoping to find a main road or something like that.

I did, or at least a bus-stop. I sat down and waited for the bus. 30 minutes later it arrived. I hobbled on. There were a few other people on the bus. The drivers face looked at me, looked down at my leg, then contorted in horror. He gasped out loud. The other passengers looked to see what the commotion was and I heard several other startled gasps. The driver practically jumped out his seat and helped me sit down on a chair in the front row. “Are you feeling okay? What happened?” He asked, “I-I feel fine. A bit woozy and really tired. A-a police officer, he-he shot me.” I told him. He grabbed a first aid kit from the front of the bus. By now a man dressed in a business suit was kneeling next to me. Looking concerned and helping the bus driver find proper treatment in the box of first-aid. A lady from the back yelled, “I'll call 9-1-1!” “NO!” I shouted. Time seemed to freeze. Everybody stared at me, expecting answers. “I-They shot me! They took my family away and shot me!” I said, pretending I didn't know what actually happened and that they were fake. I think everyone thought I was going crazy because they ignored me.

The driver looked at the well dressed man, “You help him, I'll drive to closest hospital.” He commanded. Then he looked up at all the passengers, who were mostly elderly people. “Is it alright if I drive this kid to the hospital and skip all the stops?” He asked. I began protesting but they shushed me and calmed me down. Everyone nodded in agreement and said their “Mhm”s. I felt safe here. I also felt tired.

The bus began to move and a few minutes later we were at the hospital. The next thing I knew I was on a gurney being taken through the ER. Doctors shouting all around me. They put me in a room and gave me a shot. The last thing I remember hearing was “Surgery”.