Story of a victim 2 [COMPLETED]

Part 35: Back to Virginia

*TRIGGER WARNING: Chapter may mention abuse, suicide, self-harm, and/or eating disorders. Read at your own risk.*

Ariel's POV

Carson and I were just hanging out and talking about how our lives are going when suddenly a man with a mask pulled up beside us. He took out a knife out of the blue and we both tried to run, but he got us. The pain soon went numb and everything turned black.

"Carson!" I shout through the darkness.

"Ariel!" I hear him shout back. I suddenly feel a hand grab ahold onto mine.

"Carson, is this you?" I ask.

"Yes, Ariel. It's me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a peek of light. I tug at his hand and guide him towards the light. I open the door and there is a staircase with a sign towards the side that reads One Must Go Up and one gets a second chance. Wait, one of us has to die?

"I'll go," I immediately volunteer. Carson shakes his head.

"No, Ariel. You have so much to live for. Go get a second chance. I'll be your best friend forever," Carson says. Tears fill my eyes and one streams down my cheek. I hug him tightly and gently kiss his cheek.

"Goodbye, Carson. I love you."

"I love you too, Ariel," he says with a weak smile. He starts to walk up the stairs and soon he fades away.

(Btw I got that idea from a Jacob Sartorius fanfiction book, so I'm not taking the credits for this idea)

Sabrina's POV

*Day Three*

My phone starts to ring and a unknown number shows up. I scrunch up my eyes in confusion as I wonder who could be calling me. I've saved D's contact in my phone so I know whenever he texts or calls me, so this is someone else. I hesitantly press accept and raise my phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Sabrina?" A woman asks me.

"Yeah, it is," I reply.

"Good, good. I'm Ariels mom. Sorry to interrupt you, but I figured you and Jacob would like to know the news. Ariel and Carson were both severely injured and had to be rushed to the hospital. They're both looking at being put on life support. I'd suggest that you make your way back to Virginia to say goodbye in case this is the end," Ariels mom tells me sniffling every once in a while, evidence of her crying. My heart skips a beat when she says this. I tell her Jacob and I will fly back on the next flight and hang up the phone.

Rapidly throwing on a shirt and shorts, I rush out the door and head to StarBucks, where Jacob should be at picking up our drinks.

When I arrive at the coffee shop, I see Jacob in line, almost about to order.

"Jacob!" I shout. Though most people in the shop look at me, I ignore them as Jacob approaches me.

"What's wrong?" He asks with concern.

"Carson and Ariel are in critical condition at the hospital. We need to fly back as soon as possible. They might be gone if we wait," I tell him. His eyes widen and he quickly takes out his phone, taping some buttons and then putting it up to his ear. We begin to walk back to our hotel.

"Hey, mom? Can you book us the next flight back to Virginia? Ariel and Carson are in the hospital and they really aren't doing well," he tells his mom over the phone. He talks to her a bit more before he turns to me and tells me that it'll just be me and him flying. His mom needs to stay back because Caroline, his sister, is coming down to visit them here this week.

When we get back to our hotel, we both start to pack our suitcases and get Jacob's mom to drive us to the airport. We wait for our flight together, holding hands and mentally preparing for the fact that our friends could potentially die.

Six hours later, Jacob and I are bolting to the main desk in the hospital, both of us out of breath from the run we made from the cab we took to get here. The receptionist looks up and before she can ask anything, I speak.

"We're cousins of Ariel Martin and Carson Lueders. What room are they?"

"They're room 224, level 3. Please be calm when you enter in case the patients are awake so you don't scare them. They're already in critical condition and anxiety would make everything much worse," she tells us. I quickly nod and grab ahold of Jacob's hand, running with him towards the elevator that is pre-occupied. Jacob tells me to wait and after not even thirty seconds, I simply become impatient and sigh.

"No, we're not doing this. We're using the stairs!" I shout loudly, grabbing Jacob's hand again and guide him to the long staircase. When the door closes, it is silent. I start to run up the stairs with Jacob trailing behind me, his breath unsteady. I then realize how much this is affecting him and how he's not okay.

We get up the sets of stairs and as we are about to enter the room until Jacob grabs my arm and stops me. I look back at him and with a tear going down his face, he looks down.

"Sabrina, what if- what if they die?" He asks me in a quiet voice, sounding so vulnerable. Without speaking, I bring him into a tight hug while he silently cries into my shoulder.

"Even if they do die," I speak up in a whisper. "everything will eventually be okay. I promise."

Jacob's POV

We enter the room together hand in hand and all I see is Ariel laying on a hospital bed, numerous monitors beside her. I shudder at the sight. Then I realize something; where's Carson?

As Sabrina and I stand at the doorway trying to keep ourselves together, I suddenly hear a groan come from Ariel. Both Sabrina and I immediately walk over to her, Sabrina gently grabbing one of her hands. As she does this, Ariel shifts and her eyes begin to open. Happy tears spring to my eyes.

"Sabrina? Jacob?"

Both Sabrina and I lean down to hug her and I hear Ariel chuckle as we do this. She's really back. She really is.