Page 83 of Life After You

Mine? Clay’s? I don’t know.

Something’s not right.

My mind sputters, thoughts slipping like sand through my fingers. I feel lost, so frustrated.

Scared.

I don’t want to die.

I just got back on track. I just—

Blackness. Sirens. Engines whinnying.

Maybe it’s worth it.

Giving in.

Maybe this is for the best.

I’ve been in pain for so long—losing Braden, my parents, my grams. Everyone. Everyone I’ve ever loved has left me.

I don’t want to be alone anymore.

Maybe… if I just stop… I can see them again. Be with them. That’s how this works, right?

The weight is gone. The pain is gone.

I feel light. Free.

Well… mostly.

There’s something else. A twisting deep in my gut—not the sharp ache in my side, but something different.

What is it?

What’s its name?

Pain?

No.

Discomfort?

There’s a sound… a noise I should recognize. But it slips away before I can catch it.

Wait—no. That’s not right.

Maybe it doesn’t matter.

Maybe nothing matters.

It’s over now. I can see their faces. The people I love.

I lov—

The tugging starts again.

A sharp, irritating pull, gnawing at the edges of me. Persistent. Picking at me like a vulture at carrion.

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