Dead Lies

I recommend that while reading this, you listen to the song “In the End” by Linkin Park.

CW: Death

A pandemic. Something you can't stop. Something you can’t end. Unless everyone is gone. Unless everything disappears.

No vaccine. Nothing to stop it. We might all be dead by the time this is over. Who knows. Nothing goes well with these things.

And they can't do anything about it. Because they are scared. Something we all feel. Fear.

Her eyes. All I see is death. All I see is fear.

All I see is regret.

Goodbye. This is for everyone I love. This is it. I’m not going to make it.

I love everyone.

They took off my mask and unplugged my oxygen supply. The only thing that helped me survive.

I am breathing in disease. They wanted to kill me. I was the one who destroyed the CDC along with my sister Katherine. They were lying to us. Now they're all dead because of us. Great job Reese, I tell myself.

No more lies. No more lives.

To my older brother. Always teasing me. He told me that one day, when I was older, I would understand why. And I do now.

He was trying to protect me. Make me stronger. And it worked.

I cared about him. I miss him.

 To my parents. They loved me. I wish I could have said goodbye. I could have hugged them one last time. I don’t even know why I bother with this. They died in the first week of the pandemic. And I watched.

To my little sister Katherine. I miss you. I really do. All the times when I picked you up from school and you were so happy. It made me smile. 

When I took you to your seventh grade dance, I was so nervous. I didn't want you around all those boys!

But you told me to be brave. So right now, as your lying next to me, trying to stay alive, I need to tell you something.

Be brave.

To my best friend Andre. Always there for me when I needed him. I watched you die too.

And remember what you said to me, as you struggled to breathe in those last few moments?

“Even when I die, I am not dead. My soul keeps me alive. My body is just a vessel. My soul will survive.”

And it's true. Your soul did survive. Great job.

To all the bullies.

Screw you. I’m glad your dead. You never got the best of me.

To my teacher. We always fought over my grades. They sucked, that was for sure.

But I thought I should get an A for effort.

You said effort would not get me into a good college. That was true.

But effort helped me get this far.

So thanks, even though you’re gone.

I've changed a lot. The world has changed a lot.

Different isn't always better.

My past. Dead to me.

My future. Dead.

My present. Dead.

This is for all the times when people said I wouldn't make it. They were right.

But I tried.

Katherine and I unveiled every lie they fed us. So thank us, because we opened up a whole world of truth that most people didn't know existed. 

We were ready.

I was ready.

The world was not.

I really did. But I enjoyed it.

I can’t stop the doctors who are slowly killing Katherine and I. That's impossible.

Doing things for an important cause makes you feel amazing. Even if it does involve your death.

It never did matter, did it?

 It never did.

It doesn't matter how hard you tried. It really doesn't.

Stop. I want it to stop. It hurts so much. God help me. Please. Please, please, please, please.

Katherine. She's turning blue. She can't breathe. I want to scream but I can't. My throat has closed up. I can’t breathe.

She's dying and I can't do anything about it. I manage to croak out her name, but she doesn't hear me. She turns her head and at first, I think maybe she heard and I didn't know. But instead she shoots me a small smile. Foam starts to exit her mouth as she chokes and slowly dies.

When she's gone, I make a silent note.

When I’m in Heaven, I’m going to thank her.

I'm so cold. Shivering. They symptoms of the disease are:

Shortness of breath

Shivering

Coughing

Multiple purple spots on the skin

Visions

Death

I made it to the last symptom. I'm so close.

The doctors look at me. They are probably wondering why I’m not dead. 

That's what I’m wondering too.

The world starts to blur. I’m not scared though. I'm ready.

This is to everyone I know. What Katherine said to me changed my life. It can change yours too.

Be brave. 

Always, my friends.

As I suck in as much air as I can, I feel a strange calmness over me. I’m not in pain anymore. I'm relaxed.

I can’t remember a time since the pandemic started that I felt this. Peace and serenity.

I am free. Finally.

The song is inspired by “In the End” by Linkin Park.

I wrote this story because I felt that people need to stand up for what they believe in. Some people I know hide what they feel and I don’t think that’s best for them, but who am I to say this when I’m doing the exact same thing? I know that in today’s society, we are learning to stand up for what we believe in, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily easy to accomplish. 

In the end, we all will be at peace with our thoughts and ourselves, and I'm excited for the day to come where I can stand up, say what I like and not be judged.

I hope that everyone can find peace and happiness within life, and when you all do, that will signal the day we finally can come together.

In the end, we will prevail.