I had to open my eyes I just had to. I heard a voice loud and clear. There was no way I could mistake it for anything else. I picked it out of the many. I listened to it. I knew it was Fabian. He was by my side. I knew he had to be I could hear him clearly. He talked a lot. Not always to me though. He talked with someone else. Always saying that he was sorry. I assume he was talking to Sandy since there was no one else that spoke back.
Sometimes I think I heard Ellie. Flutter would come by now and then too. I hoped that Flutter was the Queen. If not then I failed and I really was dead. Maybe this is what death is. Maybe death is painful. I wouldn't hope that it is, but it could be. The voices could just be people that pass by my grave talking to each other.
"Wake up, please." Fabian whispered into my ear. "We're all waiting."
I don't think he understood how long I'd been trying to open my eyes. It was like someone sewed my eyelids shut then poured concrete on top of them. I wanted to open my eyes. I'd been trying since I first felt the pain. Maybe I was blind now. I hoped not. Sandy and I would never be able to communicate ever again. I clenched my fist ready to hit something.
"Lex?" Fabian asked. "Do that again."
Do what? I thought. What could I possibly be doing? That's when it came to me. My body was finally able to do what my brain was telling it. Oh what a glorious day. I tried to open my eyes. No luck. But I could move my hand. That was a step in the right direction.
"Come on. Lex, don't let me think I'm crazy." Fabian said again. "Sandy's here too. He has your left hand." He paused. "Squeeze your hand, Lex. I know you can do it. I know you can. You weren't raised to give up."
All right, let's squeeze the hand. Just do it. You can do it the only thing that allows them to know that you're okay. They'll know you can hear them. "Lex…." I'm trying! I am! Trust me! I want to squeeze my hand! I want Sandy to know I'm here! I can hear you! I've been able to hear you! I want to know how I won! I want to know you're proud of me! I want to see you! I want to see you! I want to see all of you! I want Chase to throw a tantrum! I want to almost walk into Bunnymund's rainbow paint stream again! I want to see the blue sky! I want to see Sandy's eyes light up when he creates dreams for kids at night! I want so see anything! I'll take anything! Anything at all! Please whatever force is out there! Let me squeeze my hand! PLEASE! "Is that a tear?" A female voice said I recognized it quickly as Ellie's. "Is she crying?" I'm crying? No I want to squeeze my hand! Please! I begged. It was frustrating. Almost a never-ending waiting game. Squeeze your hand Lex, just a little squeeze.
"See! She squeezed her hand!" Fabian shouted. "I knew it! She's going to pull through!"
Yes, I can hear you please. I love you Sandy. I love you so much. I did this for you, and for the people of the world. I'm sorry I'm hurt. I want to wake up and make it up to you. I never wanted to do this, but I had to. I need to explain it to you. I do. There is just so much that I need to tell you. I need to give you a hug…I need to give everyone again. I want to wake up I want to see you all. I want to know how long it's been since I last saw you all. I want to hear my own voice and talk someone's ear off. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare. But I could wake up from a nightmare. So this must be a living nightmare.
An image appeared in my mind. I haven't had images in my mind in forever. It was familiar almost like it was a dream.
"Sandy? SANDY!" I shouted into the empty field as it started to materialize around me. I knew this field. It was the pumpkin patch that I used to get a pumpkin from every year when I was a kid. "HELLO? ANYONE! CAN SOMEONE HEAR ME!?" I looked around. "ANYONE! HELLO?" This couldn't be a dream then. Sandy would be here if it was a dream. At least he should be here if it was a dream. "ANYONE?" My last shout was more like a squeak. Now I know what those movies with the last person on Earth felt like. The extreme loneliness that just overwhelms you, there really is no one, I have nothing not even an animal to be with me. Just emptiness. No people, no birds chirping, no bees buzzing. "What's going on!" I shouted I could hear the cracking of my voice. I fell to my knees I was so alone.
I sat in that pumpkin patch. There were no pumpkins, but as I sat I watched the seasons seemed to change around me. The pumpkins started to grow. When they were done there were people hundreds coming and going. I couldn't make out faces any at all. Until I saw one.
"Grandma?" I said aloud. Another person soon joined her. "Grandpa?" More people in my family started to show up. "Uncle Gus?" I stared laughing and crying. I was so happy, but sad. Did that mean I was dead? Was I no longer with Sandy and the others? Was that the reason I wasn't in pain anymore?
"Alexis." That voice snapped me out of my shock. I would recognize that voice anywhere. It belonged to one person and one person alone.
"Carter." I said turning to him. My gray eyes saw his golden hair, spiked in a stupid way. "You haven't aged a day." I told him. I stared into the bright green eyes of my dead best friend. I missed those eyes. He died when we were sixteen. "I'm sorry for what I said." Remembering the last thing I told him.
"You were right." Carter replied. "You really were." He said sadly. I remembered that night vividly. I used to think about it all the time. I still do. It haunted me for such a long time. Our parents once said we would be married by eighteen. It could've been a possibility if it wasn't for that night.
Flashback
I'd made up to that party he'd called me drunk as a skunk. I came to get him I'd always come to get him. Carter and I had been best friends since we could crawl. I'd just pulled up in my car and there he was talking to a group of his friends.
"Carter!" I said going to him. "You ready to go?"
"Heeeeeeey! Aaaaleeexiiissss." He slurred. "What are yoou doin' here?"
"You called me to come get you. We got to go." I pulled on his arm. "Let's go."
"Cooome ooon. I'm fine. We're just about to go to the movies! Wanna come?" Carter said walking towards Trent's car.
"You're not going." I said pulling hard on his arm. "We need to go home. If your dad finds you out this late you're going to be in trouble." I tired to use his parents as an excuse. Maybe in his drunken mind he'd hear me and be concerned about what his parents would think.
"Naaah!" He tried to wave me off. "Dad won't care. I'm fine. It's just a movie."
"Carter you are not fine!" I shouted at him. He forced his arm out of my grip. "Please! Just come home with me! I'll let you do anything you want! You can eat anything! You have free reign! You can even walk around in your underwear!" I said trying to convince him to come with me.
"But it's Zombie Attack II!" He slurred trying to get in the passenger seat, but I kept myself in front of the door. "Leeexiii move!" He tried to push me it was weak and I was able to keep my footing. I leaned against the door trying to keep it closed. If I stayed in the way long enough maybe they'd leave without him.
"No."
"Leeexiii!"
"Please Carter. I'll take you to the movie." I said. "I'll drive. I'll even pay! You can have that large popcorn that you love so much. Nachos too." I tried to convince him. "Please just don't get in the car. I'll drive everyone, just…just…please!"
"Move!" Someone else shoved me out of the way. Carter quickly got into the car.
"Yeah! Let's go!"
I went in the window trying to grab the keys from the ignition. "Please! Carter get out of the car! I'll take you! I'll take you to see anything! I'll get you more beer! Just please get out of the car!" I was pleading. I had the feeling something bad was going to happen. I didn't want him to be in the car with a drunk driver. "PLEASE CARTER!"
"I'll be fine!" Carter pushed me out the window.
"NO you won't! You'll die you *&^$#$)#($*#$()&#%!" I shouted at him. His face went serious for just a second. I almost thought he was going to get out of the car, but he didn't. He turned to Trent and said one word that'd seal his fate.
"Drive."
"CARTER! CARTER!" I attempted to run after the car. When it was almost gone I ran back to my own. I would tail them. I saw my phone lying on my passenger seat. "I'm sorry."
"911, what's your emergency?"
"There's this car swerving around the road. I'm pretty sure it's a drunk driver…" I said.
End flashback
I was the one to find Trent's car. Wrapped around a tree at the bottom of a hill. No one survived that crash. I was the one to call it in to 911. I was the one to see all the blood, the lifeless eyes of kids I knew, and I saw it all. It took me three years to stop having nightmares about that night. It took another two just so I'd stop taking to the imaginary Carter. I still sometimes feel the guilt about that night. I should have taken Trent's keys. I should have slapped Carter until he listened. I should have called his parents when he called me. I should have called the cops and told them about the party. There was just so much that I should have done, but I didn't. I paid a large price for it.
"It wasn't your fault." Carter said. "I know what I did…what we did was wrong. I'm sorry I did that to you." Carter wrapped his arm around me. "You're not dead you know. We're just here to say hello."
"What?" I asked confused.
"Its not every day we get to interact with you." Carter said. "Yeah sure we watch over you all the time and seriously? Dating the Sandman? You're messed up. He's ancient and you're well not."
"Gee thanks." I said with a small laugh I wiped away a tear with my hand. "Always a charmer Carter."
"You know if I lived we probably would've been married." Carter chuckled. "Maybe a kid on the way a happy little family."
I smiled. "Yeah right. I wouldn't marry you."
"Yes you would. You loved me and you know it."
"I still love you." I said. "I always will."
"That's good." He smiled and gave me a squeeze. "Cause I'm going to be with you for a long time."
"What?" I was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Told you she didn't know." Uncle Gus said.
"Oh shut up." Grandma hit her son. "She'll find out soon enough. I'm sure. Hopefully they told the poor man."
"What are they talking about?" I turned to Grandpa.
"Lex, you're…"
"Shut it." Grandma hit him with her cane. I swear she loved doing that all the time when she was alive.
"Carter?" I was hopeful he'd tell me.
"Look at the time. We got to go." Carter said.
"CARTER!" I shouted as the others and him left. "CARTER! Get back here!"
"I'll be seeing you soon! Let's say another 7 months or so?"
"WHAT HAPPENS IN 7 MONTHS!? CARTER!"
A/N: And that's the next chapter. What happens in 7 months? Do you know? Next chapter is all about Sandy, Fabian, and the others keeping guard over her. If I get enough reviews I'm sure I can get the chapter up faster. I know most of you were dying for this one, but I couldn't get through it completely without getting too emotional.