One Lucky Winner

Chapter 35 ~ Caleb

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Day 2
8:57 AM

I slowly wake up to the sound of Tris and Four quietly talking. I open my eyes, and see the ceiling of the tent. I should go back to sleep, but I don't.

I slowly sit up, my eyes squinty. My neck is searing pain and throat burns. I have a horrible headache, and I have body aches everywhere. I slump back in bed, my breaths hallow.

Tris sees me. "Caleb! How do you feel?" She and Four are sitting on his bed, and Harry and Ron are sitting at the table. They all look at me and wait for an answer.

Horrible. Just horrible. Stab a knife in my back and it'll feel better than this.

"Fine," I tell them. My voice is quiet and hoarse.

"Are you sure?" Tris asks.

"Mm hm," I mumble, closing my eyes. "Does anyone have some sunglasses I can borrow," I mumble, feeling like I'm making no sense. "It's bright."

"We're in the tent," Harry's voice says, suddenly next to me. "It's not bright in here."

I try to open my eyes again, I get a quick flash of Harry sitting at my bedside before I close them. It's so bright for some reason.

"Here. You look dehydrated," Harry says. I squint open my eyes and look at Harry, who's handing me a water bottle. I take the bottle.

"Thanks," I croak. He gives me a nod. I sense him getting up, and then I hear him and Ron talking. I really like them. They're cool.

I set the water bottle down. I appreciate Harry's kindness, but I'm not thirsty or hungry in the slightest. It feels like I won't be able to fit anything down my throat if I tried.

"Caleb," Tris says. I squint my eyes open and look at her. She's looking at me. Must've been watching me. "Drink."

I don't say anything. I don't have the energy to. She walks over and sits on my bed. "You're not going to feel better until you drink," she says quietly.

"I'm not thirsty," I croak.

"You need to drink," Tris says.

"I don't think water would help," I croak.

"Water always helps."

I say nothing in reply. I'm not drinking.

"Just do it," Tris says. "Please."

"You can't make me," I can barely say. She gives me a long look. Then she looks at Four.

"Just do it Caleb. Trust us," Four growls. I hate how he's always pushing me to do things I don't want to do. He hates me; I know it.

I would say shut up to him, and I would complain on how he's always on me and he hates me, but I can't say one more thing without my throat feeling like it's about to set itself on fire.

Four walks over to me and sits down. He slowly takes Tris's coat off my neck. Once it's off, it's immediately hit with cold air. He looks at my neck closely. "It's infected," he says finally. Tris, Harry, and Ron come over and start looking at my neck with Four. I feel like they're surgeons and I'm a patient.

"If only we had medicine," Four says sourly, wrapping the coat back around my neck.

I groan and lay back down, suddenly extremely tired. I close my eyes.

I must've fell back asleep, because when I wake up everyone is eating some kind of wild fruit for lunch. I feel worse than I did earlier. Every time I swallow, it burns. My breaths are shallow and hallow. I feel weak. My headache and stomach ache are even worse than they were before. Am I dying? The thought scares me. I don't want to die. Not now. Of course I'm not dying. It seems too impossible to think.

I lay and listen to my allies talk. They don't think I'm awake. No one notices me over here.

I feel horrible. So horrible. Suddenly I feel tired, and I have the urge to go back to sleep.

No. I learned about this in class during Erudite training. When someone's dying, they feel tired. This can't be happening. I don't want to die. I know I'm dying, though. I'm so weak, I can barley blink.

I want to scream and make Tris and Harry notice me but I can't even make a sound out my mouth. I can barely move. I'm stiff. This is horrible.

I shift a little. It's hard to do. Even the tiniest movement gets me out of breath. I close my eyes, knowing I will never open them again.

"You okay? Are you awake?" I hear Tris say.

I want to speak. I want to say 'no'. I want to tell her I'm dying. But I can't make a sound out of my throat.

"Caleb?" I feel her sit down by me. "Are you okay?!"

No. I'm dying.

"Help...Four...Harry...do something," I hear Tris say. "He's dying." I'm glad she finally realizes that. I hear Four rush over to me.

Four grabs my wrist and feels for my pulse. My breathing is shallow, so I'm assuming there's not much there.

"Come on, Caleb," Four says. "Don't let go." Maybe he doesn't hate me.

I hear Tris start to cry. She covers her hands and sobs against my chest. The sounds of her cries makes me want to cry.

I feel myself start to slip away. It's getting harder to breathe by the second. I don't want to die. I'm not ready. But there's no stopping this. If I could talk I would tell Tris not to cry. I would say my last words. But I can't talk. I'm too weak. All I can do is lay here and listen to my sister crying. It's torture.

I'm scared. Frightened. I'm dying. That's all that runs through my head right now. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

"Caleb," I hear Four say quietly. Or, maybe he doesn't say it quietly. Maybe my hearing is leaving me.

I want to stay. I don't want to die.

"Caleb?!" Tris screams. "Please wake up!"

Please don't let me die, I want to tell her.

"Caleb!"

I have to die.

"Caleb?!"

I don't want to die...

"CALEB!"

I let go.