Until I Collapse • @vscomultii

Chapter 13 // Ethan

He ran into his safe place. The bathroom.

From inside I hear shuffling and searching, cabinets opening and closing.

What could he be doing in there?

I get closer to the door. Not by much, in case he's listening for me too. I hear nothing for close to a minute, and then the soft tone of Grayson reassuring himself becomes slightly audible. I wonder what he's saying, and I sit on the floor to try and hear. He gasps to himself, and then it goes silent. I think about going in to see what he doing, but I can't move.

Grayson calls my name, and I hear a thud from inside. I quickly scramble to get up, too fast to even brace myself before going in.

As soon as I push open the door, the scent of his blood hits me. It's so strong, I almost have trouble breathing through it. The blade is sitting on top of the completely blood stained countertop. His blood drips onto the floor.

I swear I just took that blade from you.

I look at it fast, but I notice that it's not the same one. I silently curse him for cutting himself even after I tried to stop him multiple times.

I quickly grab a towel and attempt to clean Grayson up. He's covered in blood. His face, his clothes, his hair, all matted in blood.
I try to stop it, but the blood just keeps pouring out. Tears well in my eyes.

If you don't help him, he's gonna die.

I pick him up and bring him to the living room. I hurry to grab a sweatshirt and shoes for myself, and I skip the shoes for him. I don't think he'll need them, but as a final thought I grab a pair of my sneakers and a sweatshirt I kept in the foyer. Just in case he wants them.

I grab him again and hurry out to the car. Grayson's extremely light, so I have no trouble carrying him. The rain however is heavy, and I wish I grabbed an umbrella. I lay him down carefully in the passengers seat.

I sprint around the front of the car trying to avoid the rain as much as I can. I sit myself in the drivers seat and shove the keys into the ignition. I can barely see anything. The pouring rain is thick, and I can hear thunder and lightning crash somewhere nearby.

The car starts and I speed out of the driveway. The radio is playing, and some stupid song by a dumb, teen-pop artist is on. I can't bear to listen to this, so I shut the radio off and barrel down the road in silence.

I pick up my phone and click the keypad. I think for a second before calling someone. Dialing 9-1-1 seems so surreal, but I do it anyway.

"Hi, I would like to report a Grayson Dolan being driven in by me. There's been a terrible accident." I think it over in my head before changing it. "Mistake, sorry. A terrible mistake."

The police tell me they'll alert the hospital right away that I'm coming, and I thank them and quickly hang up the phone. I didn't even notice that I'm in tears. The rain is pouring down as hard as ever, and between that and my crying I can barely see.

It's like a hurricane. The worst is now. I just have to get to where it's calm; the eye of the storm.

But how will I get there if I can't see? The rain is hitting my windshield like it weighs so much more than it actually does, and I have to squint to see the yellow lines on the road.

I touch my face to make sure this is reality, or to assure myself that sadly, no, I am not dreaming.

This is real.

Because it's so quiet in the car, I try to listen to Grayson breathe to assure myself that he's alright. I can't hear anything except the pound of rain and the distinct crash of thunder now and again.

I take my eyes off the road for a split second to check on him. His blood is pooling on his lap and spilling down onto my seat.

When I turn away to look back at the road, I notice it. A pair of bright, white headlights are coming directly to me. I try to swerve, but it's too late.

Tires screeching, the car spins out of control and I can't feel anything.

I don't even feel alive.