The Stars

Ch 15: The Beach

     We stepped through the doorway in disbelief. A thick layer of steel clouds hung overhead. Around us were an assortment of shrubs, patches of white flowers, clusters of rocks, washed up debris, and sand. A shit ton of sand... We almost didn't believe what we were seeing, but the wind in our faces, the sand beneath our feet, the smell of the sea, and the crashing of the waves were all enough to convince us.

Jaycob: "Where the fuck are we...?"

     I took a good look around. The beach looked desolate and dead. There seemed to be nothing but sand and greenery. I turned around and realized the door had disappeared. Instead I saw a wild grove of trees I hadn't recognized. This DEFINITELY wasn't Santa Cruz...

Jaycob: "Tyvan... How the FUCK did we get here?"

Me: "I... I don't know... I don't even know where we are..."

     Ulysses slapped his thighs and sat in the sand. He seemed like he'd given up on everything...

Ulysses: "Welp... What the fuck are we supposed to do now? We have no food, no cell service, no shelter, no change of clothes, we're probably DAYS away from anyone who could help us, and no one even knows we're here. Great. This is fucking great..."

Me: "..."

Ulysses: "Well what're we gonna do, Ty? You're the one who got us here."

     Is he serious? He wants to start something now? Unbelievable.

Me: "I don't know... I guess we'll just sit here on our asses helplessly until we fucking die. Obviously we're gonna do something to stay alive. Give me time to think..."

Ulysses: "Don't get fucking sarcastic with me. All of this is literally your fault. If you didn't selfishly run off trying to play the hero, we wouldn't have been looking for you and caught in this stupid mess."

All summer I felt like I've been blamed for everything. Now this? I slowly turned to face him.

Me: "You don't know ANYTHING about what happened to me that night... You don't know what it's like to have a body temperature hotter than water's boiling point. You don't know what it's like to pass out from blood loss. You don't know what it's like to be hit by a car, or attacked by someone in the middle of the night. You don't know what it's like to lose your home. You don't know what it's like to feel abandoned by damn near EVERYONE you love. You don't know what the fuck I've been through these past months. Frankly, I've felt like everything BUT a hero so far. You don't know me in the slightest. Did you ever know me at all?"

I felt my fists clench again... This time they felt warmer... I needed to be careful. I don't want to boil up again. Especially without a hospital near by...

Ulysses: "You're so fucking dramatic. You know what, you're right. I don't know shit about what happened, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't care. Don't you dare say I didn't care. Don't even imply that. All I'm saying is what you did was selfish. We were all there for a reason. We were there to protect each other. All of us. Not just you. We all fucking care about you, Ty. You weren't abandoned. You pushed everyone away and called it abandonment. I'm sorry about what you've been through, but right now we all need to stay together. Especially considering what's been happeni—"