Prompt: Take Me Instead
Ocean sat alone in her bedroom. She held her pink stuffed bunny, Mr. Floppy Ears, to her chest. Before Constance, this stuffed animal was her only friend. Ocean let a violent sob rip through her body, and she didn't stop herself for once in her life. They were all gone. Constance was gone, Ricky was gone, Mischa was gone, and Noel was gone too. Her beloved choir teacher even died of a heart attack hours after the others, and there was one unidentified body after the crash who was wearing their school uniform.
Ocean didn't ride the Cyclone roller coaster. She didn't think it looked safe at all. So, she waited for the others at the exit of the ride. She couldn't do anything but watch in horror as her classmates fell to their deaths. She was still frozen when the paramedics arrived. There was no saving them. She only snapped out of it when they asked her to identify a headless body. She couldn't.
"Why?" Ocean sobbed. "Why didn't you take me instead?"
Ocean tried to think logically. She thought, 'I'm what the world needs. It's good I survived and not them. I will change the world, and they would have not.' However, Ocean thought logic could screw itself. She was now lonely and friendless.
Ocean collapsed to her knees. "Why?" she sobbed. The bedroom door was pushed open.
"Honey, I'm home," Ocean's mom called. "We brought you Chinese takeout. Oh, Ocean."
"All of my friends again," Ocean sobbed. Mrs. Rosenberg wrapped her arms around her daughter. Ocean dropped the bunny onto the carpeted floor, flinging her arms around her mom. She didn't like letting people see her cry. However, she didn't care anymore.
