Ashes, Ashes, We All Must Die

Chapter 2

Gasping for air, Axel woke with a jolt. There he sat. In the middle of the road, in which he had collapsed. A drizzle of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, mixing with the blood that oozed from the gashes in his cheeks.

The last thing he remembered was going to school, and that he came home early with a horrible migraine. His head still pounded, dizziness flooding his vision. With a bit of struggling, he managed to stand up.

Pain shot up in from his ankle like a dagger. Shifting his weight onto his good leg, he hobbled his way back to the house. Each step was like walking on red-hot coals.

Clenching his teeth, he reached for the door handle, and stopped. There was blood all over it, too. Unsure whether it was his, he cautiously opened the door, with a bit of creaking.

Axel's gave fell over the white furniture, soaked in glistening fresh blood. It was everywhere. You couldn't even tell that the carpet was supposed to be white anymore. Instead, it was a deep crimson. Handprints covered the walls, and the lamps were smashed and knocked over. The table was flipped, and television smashed. Glass, ceramic, and blood coated the floor.

Groaning in pain, Axel made his way into the kitchen, in search of a first-aid kit. Where were his parents?

The kitchen too, was coated in red. The tiles slick, and countertops slathered with maroon. Gulping, Axel eyed a small white box at the back of the cabinet under the sink. It snapped open and contained some bandages, a tube of Neosporin, and alcohol wipes for sanitation. Axel brought the case into the bathroom, and patched up his face a bit. Looking in the mirror, Axel did not recognize the boy staring back at him. Eyes sunken, face stained red, bruised, swollen, and broken.

He retrieved his ankle brace from his track bag. He'd placed 3rd in state. If only his coach could see him now. The brace helped some with the pain, but not nearly enough, and he hunted down a bottle of ibuprofen. Axel coughed a fit, chest rattling. He grabbed a cheese stick from the fridge, and layer down in his bed. Exhausted and deprived, Axel had no problem falling asleep.