Never Again

End

He woke up with Rose right next to him. "What happened." His voice hurt.

"I saw that you were in trouble. I came. Joy had left before I got there." Zack tried to sit up but his stomach hurt.

"Why would she stab me? I was trying to save her. How could she?"

"That was what I was thinking. I don't know." Rose looked puzzled.

"I need to go to Mount Rushmore. I need to find out why she stabbed me?"

"You are critically ill. You can't move." As if right on cue, there came a popping sound of fire that Zack knew all to well. He got up without a words stumbled a bit before opening the trap door. Rose must have known to because she followed him without question. Once they both reached the bottom they both started running down the tunnel. The tunnel started to collapse. Rose started to fall behind. Zack stopped, grabbed her hand and started running.

"Go on without me. I'm suppose to go. I'm going to guide you." Rose starts to run again but walks shortly after. She pressed something into his hand. He took it from her hand and put it in his pocket, hidden from the outside worlds.

"Come on. We're almost there." Zack tugs on her hand.

"Zack, I have polio. I don't want to live but, for your sake I'll try to make it."

Zack starts to run once he was out of the tunnel he turns and sees Rose almost there.

"Come on Rose, your almost there." Rose starts slowing down. Her arm outstretched.

"Goodbye Zack. Remember me." Rose has her arm outside of the tunnel. 'She's gonna make it.' He spoke to soon. The tunnel collapsed taking Rose with it. Once all the dust was gone he sees her arm crushed from the rocks. Her hand goes motionless and he wknew she was gone.

Zack was mad. Mad at Rose for leaving him, for the aliens for killing everyone he loved. Finally he was mad at Joy. 'What did I do to her that made her almost kill me?'he didn't know. He got up, brushed himself off and walked away in the direction of Mount Rushmore without looking back.

He walks into the Mount Rushmore guide place. He walks up to the counter. "Is there anyway I could go up to see Abe Lincoln by myself?"

"Not a chance kid, nobody goes up alone." The cashier was male around 50 years with brown streaks in his gray hair.

"There has been a fire in the old hotel. I was there. I know you probably think I joking but, I'm not. My best friend was in the fire." Tears welled up in his eyes. "She... Didn't... Make it." He chocked out the words. As if right on cue sirens went off. The cashier ran out the door and down the street. Zack looked around. Everyone was heading to the hotel. Zack slipped up one of the trails that said 'only for employees.' He, of course, ignored the sign. He climbed the trail until he was at Abe's mouth. He glanced around and climbed into the mouth.

Inside it was dark. He saw one spotlight. It was on Joy. Unconscious and bleeding, she was. She woke up and looked at him.

"Zack, they'll be here any second. Go, hide." She whispered.

"Why'd you stab me?" He demanded.

"What are you talking about? I never stabbed you!" She said her eyes filled with terror. "Zack, look out, behind you!"Something hard hit him in the back of his head and he was unconscious.

He woke up just like in his dream. Hanging by a pipe. Not being able to move. Across from Joy.

"What happened to your stomach?" Joy asked concern filled her voice.

"What happened was you stabbed me!" He spite the words out at her.

"What? I never...."

"Actually you did, Joy." An alien came into view. "We brainwashed you so you thought your friends were your enemies and your enemies were your friends, temporarily." The alien, Zack noticed for the first time, had a gun in his hands.