CAMRYN'S POV
I ran down the ladder as fast as I could trying to look for either Ben or Violet. " Help! Ben! help me! He's trying to kill me! Help!" I scream throughout the house trying to get someone's attention. " HELP! BEN!" I yell as I make it down stairs.
I spin in circles hoping to see Ben at the front door, waiting for some type of noise but it never showed. Tears poured down my face as I screamed for Ben. Tate comes running down the stairs towards me but I quickly run out the front door.
I head straight for the gate and grab the bars tightly, pulling them furiously. " Help! Help me please!" I scream at a couple walking their dog but it's like I was invisible. Only their dog barked at me. I unlocked the gate and run out of the gate but I stop only to realize I was back into the kitchen.
Tate stops too while I look around the kitchen. I looked around the kitchen confused on how I got back here. " What's happening to me! What did you do to me!" I sob while backing away from him. " You have to stop. Let's just do what we said we would" He says calmly following me around the kitchen.
" DAD WHERE ARE YOU? HELP ME!" I yelled even louder as I ran out of the kitchen. " Camryn! Stop running!" Tate shouts at me from the kitchen. I ran back out of the front door and through the gates but I ended up back in the house near the side door. More tears ran down my face as I stumbled out of the house again only to be trapped back in the house. I tried again and again only to be placed back into the house by the side door.
I stop and sob loudly as I realize I can't leave the house. I don't want to die. I ran out of the house one last time hoping that this was all a dream. Sadly I was trapped in the house once more. I stopped and gripped the walls as Tate came around from the stairs.
I look up to see an angry look on his face as I back away from him. " please, Tate, please. I don't want to die" I begged as tears ran down my face. " It's too late for that" he says emotionlessly staring at me. My breath suddenly went patchy as I tried to breathe. I tried to understand what Tate just said, I'm not dead how can I be dead?
I sat down on the stairs and sobbed loudly. " Camryn, listen to me" Tate says squatting down beside me. I shook my head as my hands gripped my hair. " Why am I running around like a crazy person? Did you drug me?" I asked wiping the tears off my face.
" I'm not gonna hurt you. I have to show you something. And then you're free to go wherever you want. I promise I won't stop you. " He says standing up and extending his hands. " You have to trust me" he begs.
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Tate led me down into the once again dark and creepy basement. He took me to one of the back rooms as he flicked on the light. He opens a little door revealing a small crawl space. " I feel weird. Like I'm losing it" I say crossing my arms.
He looks at me for a moment before stepping onto a chair and climbs into the crawlspace. He sits in the entryway and flicks on the flashlight. He looked over at me as if he was waiting for me to climb in. I sigh and stepped towards the crawlspace, looking inside.
" Come on" Tate says. " fine" I mumbled. I climbed into the crawlspace and follow tate. I walked on my hands and knees and it was very uncomfortable. After a while he turns the flashlight at me. It shined on my face as I squinted a bit. He looked at me for a bit making sure I was following him.
We crawled for a bit more until I came up and saw a skeleton of a rat. I screamed and slapped the ground in fear. God I hate this place. " It's so disgusting down here." I mumbled. Tate hops down in an area below us and turns back to me. " Okay, come on" He tells me.
I placed my hands on his shoulder while he held my waist. I jumped down from the crawlspace and Tate stood in front of me. " Close your eyes. And remember everything's gonna be okay. I love you" he tells me. I closed my eyes as Tate grabbed my hand. He leads me down the narrow hallway.
We stopped as he turned me to face something. " Open your eyes" he says softly. I opened my eyes and looked forward. I noticed nothing until I looked down. I froze as I started to sob. There layed my dead, decomposing body. It was covered in flies as it lay on the muddy floor.
" What! no!" I cried as I tried to figure out how I died. Then it hit me. " I died when I took all those pills.." I mumbled. " I tried to save you. I did. I tried to make you throw them up. You threw up some, not enough" he sniffles.
"No" I cried. I started to sob as Tate broke and started crying as well. " you took so many, camryn. You died crying. I held you. You were safe. You died loved." He cries. " I hardly feel anything" I whispered backing away from Tate.
I slowly walked backwards and leaned against a brick wall near me. " I didn't want you to find out this way, Camryn. You or your parents. I had this idea that if you choose to die, with me, you wouldn't be so sad. I never wanted you to see this. I'm so sorry Cam" He says walking over to me.
I leaned in towards Tate as I weakly hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. I silently cried with him. " I didn't want to die Tate" I cried. " I know, I know" He whispers kissing my head.
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" so, all this time, I thought I was protecting you. But you were protecting me?" I say over to Tate. " That's all I ever wanted to do, since I first saw you" He confirms as he sits on the ground, in the middle of my room. " So why'd you keep it a secret?" I ask.
I joined him on the floor as I looked at him. " Hi. I'm Tate. I'm dead. Wanna hook up? I don't think so" he smiles. I grinned as I looked at the floor. " I still don't remember dying. Do you? " I questioned. " nope" He says.
" What happens now?" I ask as I look up at Tate. " You draw a card, and then discard" He jokes motioning over to the deck of cards in his hands. " no, I mean, like, how is it going to be?" I laughed. " Just like this. Like it's always been. It's me to you. Together for always" He smiles at me.
I smiled at him as I picked up my cards as we started our game.
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