The Purge ➵ a.i

12

Annalise

4:41

That one shot fired. Ashton shot back and killed the person that shot Michael down. I stumbled to my knees and crawled to him. I'm crying for like the five hundredth time tonight. He was lying on the ground unconscious.

"Let's get him up and take him back to my house and keep him in there until 7," says Ashton, holding one of his arms around his neck. I do the same.

Luckily Michael hadn't died. He's still alive. The person only shot him in the side. I know where Ashton lives. It's not far, maybe about five walking minutes.

Once we finally got there, we quickly went inside and laid him down on the couch. "Get an aspirin, carbon dioxide, and bandages," says Ashton. I quickly run into his bathroom and get the stuff from his medicine cabinet. I hand them to him. "And a glass of water," he says.

I quickly do as said, and hand him the glass. I watch as Ashton opens Michael's mouth and puts an aspirin in his mouth and pours the water making the aspirin go down his throat.

Ashton quickly opens the bottle of carbon dioxide and pours it over Michael's wound, making Michael come conscious and scream in pain. "Ashton you're hurting him!" I yell. "No, I'm helping him!" he yells back, "Hold him down!"

I do as said and try to hold the strong boy down. When Ashton was done, he wrapped the bandage over Michael's wound. Michael is still in pain.

"Fuck," Michael curses. I hug him. "Thank god you're alive. I can't lose someone I love again," I say. He puts his arms around me and kisses my forehead.

I stand up and look at Ashton who was staring at me. He was expressionless. Then he looks at Michael, then walks into his room. I follow him.

"What are you doing?" I ask. "Did that kiss mean nothing to you? When I was hurt and I you were there to help me, when you could have just walked away. I meant that kiss," he says. "What are you talking about?" I ask confused.

"Do you like Michael, Anna?" he asks. "I love Michael," I say. He looks at me with hurt in his eyes. "Michael is my best friend. He's like a third brother to me, of course I love him. Not in that way," I say calmly. Ashton walks up to me and hugs me.

I smile and hug him back. I honestly don't know why he reacted that way. He pulls away from the hug as leaves the room. I follow him again. Michael was passed out on the couch, snoring. "He'll be asleep for a while," I say. Ashton nods.

"Let's purge together," Ashton says. "No thanks, I'm good," I say, putting my hand up. "But, it'll be fun," he says, and grabs my hand. That's when he got me. The second he touched my hand, I knew I was about to do exactly whatever he wants me to do.

"Fine," I say. He smiles. "Grab a gun and let's get out of here," he says. I grab my gun, and he does too. We leave his house, locking it behind us.

When we get outside, there were ten people surrounding the house.

"Think you're leaving so soon?" a man asks. "What do you want, Cole?" Ashton says. "You know what I want," he says and smirks, "Give me what I want." I look at Ashton.

"If you don't, then I might just have to kill you," says the man who I guess name is Cole. Ashton looks at me. "He wants you," Ashton says. "Me?" I ask.

"Yeah," Ashton says, clearly upset. "If I don't he'll kill me, you have to go with him," he says. "Ashton, what the fuck?" I say. "Sorry," he says and points his gun at me. "Go," he says.

Ashton is the biggest a douche bag I know. I'm dead now. I have nobody to save me this time. I consider myself dead now. It's all Ashton's fault.