Crying: A Dystopian Novel

Bleeding: Chapter 4

++++ MICHAEL ++++

"Michael, you've got to go back. They need you."

"Please, come with me." I plea. It's crazy, though. He doesn't have anything to go back to.

"You know I can't."

"Just tell me. Was Anna right? Is this really you?"

"Yeah. It's me. It's really me."

I wake up to find myself in my bed and in a lot less pain. Mom is sitting next to me. "Michael! How are you? Are you okay?"

"I saw him, like Anna did. Where is she? I've got to tell her." I roll out of bed and start to leave.

"Michael, what are you talking about? Come back and sit down, I'll go get her."

"Drew. He was there."

"Michael, come sit down. Grandma Elle needs to check out your foot before you go running around." She walks out of the room and mumbles, "Maybe your head too." Anna comes in a few minutes later.

"Michael, I-- I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person."

"What are you talking about? I wanted to tell you I saw him. I saw Drew."

"Really? What did he say?"

I clear my throat and explain. "He told me that I had to go back. That you all needed me. I asked him to come with me, but I knew that was stupid. So, I asked him if you were right, if that really was him. He said yes, and I woke up."

"Oh, Michael. I missed you so. I just felt terrible." She wraps her arms around me and I welcome it.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Well, you were out for, hmm, I don't actually know, before the medicine and 5 days afterward."

"What?" I am utterly confused.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It turns out that the bullets that you got shot with were coated with poison, and that's what knocked you out. You looked like you were dead, super freaky. Later that day, Grandma Elle found some old vials of medicine that she had forgotten about that rids the body of any poisonous substance. She was about to come give you some when Grace ran in and told her that we needed her at the creek because, um--"

"I was dead." John laughs as he limps in the room. "That's right. Your sister is dating a zombie."

"Yes! A zombie I didn't know was awake yet. Excuse me." She turns around and kisses him on the cheek as she gives him a hug.

"Anyway, Mom came and gave you the shot while the rest of us got zombie-man here up to the house. He got a shot too and I've just been sitting around staring at sleeping people." She laughs.

"So what made you feel like a horrible person?" I ask.

She blushes, and I immediately regret the question.

"I... I left you. John didn't tell me about the poison, but when I went back out to ask him why, he was gone. I ended up running all over the place looking for him when I should have been here, with you."

"Anna, stop beating yourself up. You saved my life. If you hadn't found me, I probably wouldn't have been found for days. Not to mention dead."

"No, I didn't find you. Grace saw you head towards the creek."