Poveglia Island (GAC Story)

Sixteen

"Zak.." Nick began after nearly ten minutes of silence. "I know you're not gonna like to hear this...but we gotta go to the hospital to check on Jackie to see if she's awake.."

"You go.." Zak muttered. "I'm staying.."

"You sure?" Aaron asked. "Because I don't really like leaving you here.."

He gave his friend a serious look. "Go..I'm staying here."

"Alright then.." Nick said before it continue. "Let's just go Aaron." He looked at Zak. "We'll let you know if she's awake."

He only nodded as he heard them walk off. Staying sitting next to Lily, he just stared at her, waiting for her to wake up. But in the back of his mind, he knew that wouldn't happen. So he just stayed when he heard voices talking to him.

You could've saved her.

Why wasn't it you that did it?

You're nothing but a coward.

Zak clenched his fists. "I know I'm a coward." He muttered. "I know I should've done it instead of her.."

Just do it.

End it all. Stop suffering.

You could've saved her.

He saw spirits forming around him, and he froze. One of them had half a face burned, their clothes ripped to shreds. Another had their jaw burned, while the third had a missing arm. They were all staring right at him.

"Get away from me!" He shouted. "Get away!!"

You could've saved her.

Why was it her instead of you?

End it all. Stop suffering.

He buried his face in his hands. "No! I won't! You can't make me!"

You will. You will do it.

"Zak." He heard a voice say, and he immediately looked at Lily, but she was still dead, her skin more pale than before.

"Behind you." They said, and he looked. Immediately standing up, he saw her in spirit form.

"Lily?" He asked.

***

Nick and Aaron went into Jackie's room right away, seeing her awake. Breathing a sigh of relief, they approached her.

"Hey Jackie." Nick said. "How're you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Tired...kinda sore."

"At least you're awake now." Aaron said.

"What happened?" She asked.

Nick and Aaron had that look, and it raised her concern.

"Guys..what did you do?"

"It's not what we did.." Aaron said. "It's what someone else did.."

Jackie sighed. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, Nick sat next to her in the chair. "We knew about what you saw..in your dream. That figure or whatever told Lily in a dream that she had. And they said either one of us die or you'll never wake up and die in your sleep..."

"And so when we got back to our room at the hotel, Lily wasn't there." Aaron continued. "We figured out that she went back to the island, and we searched for her. Zak found her outside in that field across the little bridge...and she was with that person..."

"She sacrificed herself for you to live.." Nick finished, starting to get a little emotional. "She's gone..."

Jackie felt the guilt weigh on her like a ton of bricks, knowing that her best friend just killed herself to save her life.

"We can't change it, can we?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

"No...we can't..." Aaron said.

"Zak tried to stop her but he couldn't.." Nick said. "She wanted to do it and even his convincing couldn't stop her."

"Where is he?"

"At the island.." Aaron said. "He needs some space for a while."

She only nodded before the tears that were in her eyes fell down her cheeks. "I can't believe it had to be that way...why could it have been different where someone doesn't have to die?"

"I don't know anymore.." Nick said.

They didn't say anything for a long time, the only noise the heart monitor and the TV the only thing that's not keeping the room completely quiet until Aaron spoke up.

"One of us should head back there and see if he's alright." He said.

"I'll go." Nick said, standing up from the chair. "You stay with Jackie, I'll be back."

He nodded, sitting down in the chair Nick was in as he headed out and back to the island.