I can't describe how happy I was when I learned she was alive. I was worried, but also so happy. I shouldn't have been happy but… I felt so lucky.
They called me; I was the last number dialed on her phone. I don't remember ever running so fast in my life.
I thanked god… She, on the other hand, cursed the world. She had lost her family in a single day. She rebelled. As I said, Melisa was already mentally weak. Losing her family shattered her mental state. She couldn't recover.
She had broken both her legs in several places.
She had third-degree burns on her body, and certain parts of her body were badly bruised. Her skull was fractured, leaving potentially fatal damage, but thanks to skilled doctors, Melisa was saved.
She was in pain every second, but she was alive. I was so happy.
When she told me she wanted to go home, I tried to get her out of the hospital quickly. The hospital was the one of the universities where I worked. Thanks to me, I was able to get her out quickly.
As we were leaving, the doctors greeted us. All the doctors from the faculty saluted us. They sent her off, praising her for surviving such a catastrophic accident. Melisa didn't look at any of them. She couldn't even look me in the face.
I saw it. That day I decided. I would roll up my sleeves and give everything I had to heal her. I would make her the old Melisa again.
I did everything I could, but she didn't get better; on the contrary, she got worse. In the following months, she began to waste away before my eyes. She lost weight rapidly. I saw her slowly sinking into a depression that was destroying her. Her job gave her a few months' leave.
She couldn't recover in those few months and had to quit her job. I supported her. She was very thin. I didn't think she was in the mental state to go back to work.
I tried to support her. Even if it didn't change anything, at least I tried. She saw my efforts, and because of this, no matter how bad she was, she tried to appear okay in front of me.
However, the moment I left the house and closed the door behind me, I heard crying. This accident had really affected her. She told me she had a constant headache, and I took her to the doctor a few times. But nothing came of it.
To get rid of the pain, she first started drinking heavily. Then she started going to bars with her new friends. I usually joined her. I didn't want to leave her alone. Melissa seemed happier when she was drunk. So I had to let her do it. Even though I watched her wither away before my eyes, at least she was happy… I allowed it.
Suddenly, her behavior changed 180 degrees; I saw her transform into a different person. She was using drugs that made her forget all the things she had gone through. I couldn't tell her not to… She felt terrible. I turned a blind eye, hoping she would be better and happier.
I even joined her. I usually drank the same alcohol she drank. I used the substance to help her take less, or to reduce the amount of she was taking. Melissa wouldn't have wanted me to join her. But I didn't accept it. I joined her.
We both quickly drifted towards a precipice. Or rather, she entered a current, and I didn't want to let go of her hand while she was in that current. So we both drowned. That's exactly what happened.
At least I would console myself by saying we drowned together, that no matter how drunk we got, Melisa would always be by my side. We made all our mistakes together. If necessary, we would end up in a pathetic state together.
If we passed out, we would wake up lying side by side on the same asphalt. We would get our fines from the police hand in hand, and spend the night together in jail.
We would be side by side. That was enough for me.
My dismissal from my job happened quickly. I was forced to take a break. Otherwise, I would have been fired. So I agreed. I took a year off.
Now we were both pathetic, diploma-holding addicts.
(Present time, from Melisa's perspective)
After crying a bit, we lay down in bed to sleep. Leo was holding me tightly. But I quickly slipped away from him. I took the key from his pocket and went out the door. The lights were really off. There was no sound coming from the corridor. The guns must have run out of ammunition. A lot of people were lying in front of the doors outside. They must not have found a room. I asked them all,
"Did you see a necklace?"
They hadn't seen one.
I kept going, asking everyone. Only one woman answered.
—"It should be around here... I think I saw it."
She found the necklace, but didn't tell me. —"Did you find it?"
I asked.
—…I found it recently. There was a photograph in it, I think.
—Yes! Him!
—There was a man in that photograph, wasn't there?
—My lover. He's here too. Actually, he's my husband. But lover and husband are almost the same thing.
—He's here too? How sad. Only one of you will be able to leave.
—No…He said it wasn't like that.
—That old man didn't say that, though. Only one person will be able to leave here.
—My lover came here once before. That's what he said!
There was a little girl next to that woman.
—Really…? Then you're lucky. I guess…
Then she made me feel like she didn't believe my words.
—Yes.
Suddenly, a gun went off. The young mother I was talking to pulled me aside. I was so scared, I tried to talk…I couldn't. The young woman comforted me.
—Okay, darling…It's over…Nothing happened…Okay?
—I feel hurt somewhere…Was I shot?!
—I don't know… I don't think so.
—Oh my God! I can't die now! Leo will be so upset… I'm sorry! I won't do bad things again! I will be a good person!"
—Darling. You weren't shot. You're alright.
—Are you sure!?
—Yes.
—Thank goodness…
Still, I couldn't be sure.
I looked at my hand. I looked at my hand in the dark. My hand wasn't the color it should have been. It was as if a darker liquid had covered it. I screamed Leo's name loudly. I wished he would save me…But I lost consciousness right there…Would Leo be able to find me? He wouldn't. I lost my only family…
I was going to die here, and he wouldn't even know.