The Purge ➵ a.i

11

Annalise

*flashback*

"Happy birthday dear, Anna. Happy birthday to you," everyone sang. I smiled and blew out my candles. I wished for the same thing every year. Every wish was always to have my two brothers around all the time. I loved them with all my heart. I needed them.

"What'd you wish for Anna?" my brother, Jack of the age 13, asked me. "I can't tell you, silly," I said. Any nine year old would believe in wishes.

"Anna," my other brother, Luke of age 10, asked me. "Yes?" I asked him, smiling wide, making the paper crown on my head fall to the side.

"Wanna play hide-and-seek tag with Ashton, Jack, and Michael?" Luke asked and fixed my paper crown. "Sure," I said. I didn't know why Ashton came. I never even talked to him that much before.

Being the youngest out of three, I was always gullible to do anything Jack and Luke wanted to do. I really didn't care, I was only nine.

I followed my two brothers to the two other boys. One of whom I was best friends with, the other I went to school with that I didn't talk to much. I suspected he was one of my brother's friends.

Michael called, "Not it", making everyone else say it too. The only one who didn't say anything was Ashton who was staring at me the whole time I was there.

"Ashton's it!" yelled Luke. We all started running and Ashton starting counting. I ran to the back of my garage.

I was back there for maybe ten minutes until Ashton came back there and yelled, "Found you!" I smiled and got out, but I ended up tripping like an idiot, scraping my elbow, knee, and cheek.

Ashton gasped and helped me up. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded. Since Ashton was 12 at the time, he acted like a big brother to me. He walked me inside and sat me on the counter and cleaned my cuts up.

"If anything ever happens like this ever happens when I'm around, just know I'm here to help," he said. He kissed me on the cheek. I smiled at him. That's the moment I knew, I was fucked. My whole life was fucked and that boy would never be out of my mind.

*flashback ends*

4:23 a.m.

5...

Heart is beating fast.

4...

Breathing getting heavier.

3...

Thoughts running through my mind.

2..

Time is ticking.

Before I got to one, a man in all black rushed in and shot everyone down, including P.D. "Everyone out quickly! We're saving lives tonight!" the man in all black yelled. Other men rushed in too, one helped Ashton out of the chair.

Ashton had stopped crying and ran to me. He untied me, then Michael next. We all got up and ran out, grabbed a gun for each of us before we went out the door.

Ashton is in front of me and Michael is behind me. Michael and Ashton are all I have now. Michael and Ashton are I need now.

We continue to run. Run through the streets and behind another building. Everything was going fine. Then it happened. That one gunshot that ruined my life more than its already been ruined. God fucking damnit.