Chapter 0.5: Fainted

I can’t breathe—I can’t breathe.

He’s hugging me.

This boy… is hugging me.

My lungs are tight. My chest aches. My head is spinning so fast I feel like I might faint. He just—he killed his uncle. His uncle, who’s lying beside me now, completely still.

Lifeless.

I can’t think. I can’t see straight. I need to—

*Huff. Huff.*

I’m hyperventilating. My whole body’s shaking. I can’t stop trembling, and my eyes—God, my eyes are stinging.

Why is his uncle’s hand on my lap?

Ew. Ew. It’s still warm. I can feel the blood soaking through my jeans, sticky and thick. And him—why is he still hugging me?

Why the hell is he hugging me?!

I want to shove him off. Kick. Scream. Something.

But I can’t. I’m frozen. My arms won’t move.

Focus. Focus on your breathing. You have to calm down. You have to—

“It’s okay now,” he says, like this is all normal.

“Take slow, gentle breaths in. My mom says when you breathe too fast, you lose oxygen and trap carbon dioxide. You’ll feel better if you slow it down. Trust me. I’ve been through this. Hannah too.”

What?!

What the F_CK are you talking about?!

Why are you calm?!

Why are you smiling?!

You just killed someone! You killed your uncle!

And now you’re giving me breathing tips?

His hand pats my back and I flinch. It only makes things worse.

My heart is pounding so hard I can’t hear anything else. It’s in my ears, my chest, my fingertips—everywhere.

Everything’s spinning.

I need to get out.

“Hey! Don’t try to get up. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Hurt myself? Was that a warning? A threat?

Oh god. Is he going to kill me too?

My stomach twists. Something’s wrong.

Did I get hit? Stabbed? No—I just feel sick.

Urgh… blurgh!

“See? I told you. Now you’ve vomited,” he says, like it’s no big deal.

“You should’ve stayed put.”

NO.

NO! I shouldn’t even be here. I need to find my aunt.

There!—It’s the door.

“Hey, Kyle, sis! Don’t go out there—it’s not safe!”

I need to—

_______________________________________________________________________________

When did all of this happened?

Oh, right. A week ago.

It all began with Mom asking me to visit Aunt Marie. She told me to head to some random island where Aunt Marie lives. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I mean, I’d only talked to Aunt Marie a few times online—WhatsApp, Messenger, stuff like that.

What if I’d just said no? What if I’d told Mom I couldn’t go because I had volleyball practice, or that I wanted to hang out with my friends? What if I’d just ignored her request and gone to bed like I wanted to?

I wouldn’t be here, stuck on this stupid island. I’d be home, living my normal, quiet life. I miss my family—Mom, Dad, Kyle. I miss my friends.

I remember how it all started so clearly. The sunlight streaming through my bedroom window. The breeze coming in. The obnoxious beeping of my alarm clock.

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