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Beep. Beep. Beep.
The gentle noise of machinery pierced into the boy’s consciousness as he began to regain his senses. He had been sleeping for what felt like a year-he had no dreams, no thoughts, nothing. Nothing but the empty sense of coldness running through his veins.
He heard her voice.
“Joe? Joe, are you awake?”
Her voice shook, like she was crying.
That’s wrong, he thought.
Sara shouldn’t be crying like that. I don’t want her to ever feel like crying, unless it’s because she’s happy.
He opened his eyes.
“Ssa…” He tried to speak, but his throat was filled with rocks. Hesitantly, he tried again.
“Sara..? Wha..what happened?” The boy managed to speak. Almost instantly, he regretted it, as Sara began to cry harder.
“You’re…crying…Sara..don’t cry…” he stuttered. “Sara…”
I love you, and I’m here, so you don’t have to cry.
But he couldn’t get his mouth to form the words.
The girl gently ran her fingers through his messy brown hair. “Shhh…don’t force yourself to talk. You’re..you’re going to be okay.” She whimpered.
Joe leaned his cheek into the warmth of her soft hand. Only now was he beginning to realize how cold he was. Nauseous, too. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, which hurt terribly due to his weakened state, yet he couldn’t stop it. His left hand was pierced by a sharp pain. He glanced at his hand to see an IV. An IV dripping blood into his body.
“S-Sara…I don’t..feel…good…” The boy managed to stammer out.
Another tear rolled down Sara’s face. “I know, I know…I’m sorry-“
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
With every ounce of willpower in his body, Joe lifted his untethered hand to reach Sara. To his dismay, he was too weak to do even that.
“It’s not…your…fault. Why…are…you..sorry?” He asked.
The girl’s chin trembled. “Do you remember-do you remember what happened?” Sara asked, through tears.
Slowly, Joe shook his head. In response, Sara took a deep breath and grabbed his right hand.
“Sorry-is this okay?” She asked, loosening her grip on his hand.
Joe nodded.
of course it’s okay, you’re my best friend and…
Sara took another breath, then let it out slowly.
“We were walking home from school. I was nervous because my stalker was near my house. And when I got there, somebody had attacked my mom, and I couldn’t find my dad. You heard me scream, and met me outside my house. We stayed together and walked through the house, and someone grabbed me from behind.”
I remember that. You were looking for your dad and then I heard you call for me. I tried to run to you but I passed out.
“We woke up in that…first trial, do you remember?” She prompted.
I remember. You insisted I get out of the restraints and save myself.
“You saved my life. You made the right key and you saved me.”
Only because I knew couldn’t live with myself if you were gone.
Sara took another deep breath. “There was another sick game-with the doll-and then the doll became Sue Miley and forced us to…kill Professor Mishima.”
I remember. The smell of burning flesh, his screams as the collar melted his skin until his head..left his body.
“And then…we got our cards…and we had the first main game.”
I was the Sacrifice.
“You were the Sacrifice. I was the Keymaster. Kai was the Sage. Everyone else was a commoner…and I was the one who figured everything out.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
You’re brilliant, Sara, of course you figured it out.
“I was terrified-I voted for you-but it was no use. Everyone else voted for Kai, because he was the Sage.” Sara’s breath shook with every word. “And then…then Miley came out, and she…made us say goodbye.”
I love you, Sara. You’re my best friend.
“And then…she called these..Wrigglers…to remove all your blood…but something went wrong. The execution was tampered with.” Sara closed her eyes. “The Wrigglers were unable to hold all your blood, and they eventually stopped. Miley was taken away, and we got new floormasters, the nurse, Safalin, and Rio Ranger.”
“Kai…?” Joe asked weakly.
Sadly, Sara shook her head. “He didn’t make it. He killed himself, rather than allow the masters to take his life.”
“Oh…” Joe felt a pit settle in his stomach. First Mishima, and now Kai. But not him, even though he was the sacrifice. Why did he deserve to live, when they had died?
Joe’s eyes fixated on his right hand, the one Sara currently held in her own. To his dismay, he noticed a deep purple bruise surrounding her vein.
“Don’t worry about that. It…it was the only way to keep you alive. You needed blood.” Sara said, her best friend’s eyes filling with tears.
“I…wanna go home, Sara.” The boy whimpered, like a small child. “I miss…my mom…and my dog…and Ryoko…and…I don’t want…I can’t…die..here.”
“We’re not going to die here,” the girl reassured him. “We’re…we’re going to get out of this hellhole, and…and we’re gonna get donor kebabs, and rent out the karaoke place for a whole day, and you can torture me with your terrible attempts at 80’s songs…and we’ll take care of each other, until we’re so old that we’re in diapers again.” Joe smiled at her feeble attempt to make him laugh.
“Hey, Sara?” He asked. “Can you…um…can you stay with me while I fall asleep?” Joe felt embarrassed even asking her, but the thought of being left alone was even worse.
The girl who once would’ve chided him for such a personal request, who would’ve insisted that he take some sleeping pills and go the fuck to sleep simply blushed, before nodding slowly. “Of course, of course I’ll stay with you.” She whispered.
Joe managed to shift his body far enough so that there was enough room for her to lie down beside him.
Hesitantly, Sara eased herself into the tiny infirmary bed. Joe slowly wrapped his untethered arm around her as she laid her head on his chest.
“Sara…we’ll always be best friends, no matter what, right?” Joe yawned, his body beginning to give in to exhaustion.
“Of course. I’m never leaving you again, Joe, I promise.” Sara listened to his gentle breathing begin to slow, as he fell into a deep sleep.
When she knew he was no longer conscious, she whispered three simple words into his chest.
“I love you.”