Eleven

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"Wait, where's Melanie?" 


•••


Josh leaped up and snagged the clock off the wall and sprinted to the door. Tyler frantically stumbled after him, trying to catch up.

They were both thrashing through the ball pit to the other side. 

Ahead, Melanie was throwing herself up the stairs in desperate atempt to get out of the ball pit.

"Mel! Why did you leave?! Where are you going??!" Josh hollered over to her.

She ignored it. Melanie soon reached the top of the stairs and rounded the corner while Tyler and Josh were still far behind.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?? Was she crying?" Tyler asked, still swimming.

"I think so. We need to catch up to her. Keep going." Josh clutches the clock under his arm and continues making his way across.

Once they both offectivly reached the staircase they took off, clumsily flinging themselves upwards in an awkward but speedy fashion. 

The two boys surprisingly made it too the top without falling back down and/or getting injured.

"Quick! Where's Mel!" Tyler raced around the corner in the general direction that his friend went in. 

Melanie had apperantly not gone that far, for she was at the front door only a few yards away.

"Melanie!" Tyler and Josh cried out in unison.

She was sobbing and screaming and clawing at the door, occasionally slamming herself into it. "I need to get out! I'm stuck! I'm gonna die!" She rammed into it again, trying to bust it down but nothing would move.

"Mel, stop." Tyler grabbed her and tried to restrain the girl from propelling her body at the hard wood again. "I need to get out of here! Let me out someone! Someone please help me!" She shrieked, flailing in Tyler's clutch. 

Josh stepped in and grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me! (A/N fuck on me) Calm down were gonna get out of here. We just need to find an exit, get Ash, and-" "Ashley" Melanie froze. "Where's Ashley." Her eyes were wide but the rest of her expression was straight (A/N unlike the rest of her) and unrecognizable.

Tyler loosened his grip in sympathy. "I don't know Mel. But I'm sure we'll find her."

"ASHLEYS DEAD! MY GIRLFRIEND IS FUCKING DEAD! SHES GONE! I CANT BELIEVE WE FORGOT ABOUT HER AND SHES PROBABLY BLEEDING OUT IN  THREE AMs KITCHEN WONDERING IF WE LEFT HER! I CANT BELIEVE MYSELF! WE SHOULDVE BEEN SEARCHING THIS WHOLE TIME!" Melanie started to freak out again.

"Hey hey hey, we did look for her. And we will continue looking. She's not dead. We will find her I swear." Josh sighed, knowing what Melanie was saying was probably true.

MELANIES POV:

I leaned into Tyler's chest relaxing just a tiny bit at Josh's comforting words, but I was still worried I would never see the love of my life again. 

I love Ashley so fucking much.

I began breathing quicker than normal and a million things raced through my mind. Ashley is gone. I'm locked in here. Brendon is gone. I'm gonna die. Ryan is gone. There's no way out. We're all gonna get killed.

I was having a panic attack. My heart rate escalated and rapidly pounded in my chest. My breaths were short, fast, and faltered. My head was spinning. 

Suddenly... "Melanie? I'm here! I'm right here!!" The softest, sweetest voice called out to me from down the hall. "ASHLEY??"

I looked up.

There she was, miraculously appearing under the neon 3 AM sign.

I gasped and stared at her for a moment, my mind solving the equations of HOW THE FUCK she just got there, at this perfect time.

But that didn't matter. Ashley was here.

A glowing aura enveloped her and a nectar sweet hum buzzed in my ears. 

"You're back! How'd you get here? Where were you?" I inquired, taking a gentle step forward. My arm was extended toward her, the curious angel-like light and fuzziness drew me in. I wanted to feel her. I wanted to look closely. I wanted her.

I took another longing step, sliding my feet slowly in the direction of the ethereal girl, my girlfriend, Ashley.

"Come closer Melanie." The heavenly voice whispered intoxicatingly. 

I felt like I was in some sort of trance. I couldn't control my movements, but I wanted to go closer, but maybe just a little faster. My mind swirled with thoughts of Ashley. I mind blocked out the distant yells from Josh and Tyler. Who cares what they're saying.

But one sentence caught my attention: "She's not really there Mel."

I stopped going towards Ashley and closed my eyes to avoid her beckoning gaze, pulling me closer.

"Stop it Tyler and Josh. She is here. Don't you see her?" I grunted, anger boiling inside of me at the boy's disagreeing words.

The muffled voices were hard to hear over the humming, gradually growing louder and louder. The one word I could make out was "hallucination".

My mind scattered. It was like Ashley was putting together the blocks of my mind and that word had shattered it and now I was confused.

She had to be real.

I opened my eyes. I stared into her forcing myself to ignore the nagging alternative that I could be hillucinating.

I shut my eyes again. My head hurt too bad and the hum was only getting louder. So loud. Unbearably loud.

My breathing quickened once again and so did my heart. Everything was so fast, whirling around me. The uncomfortable, confusing pull of the enlightened figure of Ashley was beginning to get overwhelming. 

I couldn't handle it anymore.

"You're not real." 

My eyes shot open and Ashley disappeared. The humming ceased abruptly. I was staring at a neon sign, empty, without a soul beneath it.

The distant shouts faded in until I could hear them clearly.

"Melanie! Are you okay? What was that! Turn around! Ashley's not there! You're imagining it! Hey! Melanie! Stop! Melanie! Mealanie! Ashley's not there! Mel!"

Stop yelling at me.

They kept yelling.

Melanie, Melanie, Melanie. Fuck off you sons of bitches.

I collapsed to my knees as I felt tears mixed with chunky 3 day old mascara roll down my face.

"Oh Mel..." Tyler came over to me and plopped down at my side.

"Leave me alone." I mumbled.

He sighed and looked into my eyes a little closer. It felt invasive and vulnerable. I looked away.

"Your smeary makeup makes you look like a prostitute." Tyler stated flatly.

I forced a quiet laugh. "Thanks Tyler."

"Hey are you okay?" Josh sat down on my other side. 

"It was like she was really there. She was- she was so close. It felt so real." I sniffled. Four breaths left my mouth in a hitching, crying sort of way. I couldn't control it anymore. I stopped trying to be strong. I sobbed into my hands, letting it all out. 

"It's okay Mel. We're here for you. We'll find Ash. We'll get out." Josh leaned in for a hug. Tyler did the same.

I never wanted our embrace to end. I could stay like this forever. 

I never wanted to let them go.

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