Death. (behind the scenes)

Part 1

'Mom we're home!' Katy yells. No reaction. 'Mom?' she repeats. 'Weird, normally she's always here when I get home.' She says, now talking to us. 'Maybe she went to the shop or something?' I ask. 'Yeah or she went to pick up your little brother?' Megan adds with a questioning tone. 'Oh god that's right! She had to take my brother to the dentists, and afterwards she would go to the shop.' She suddenly remembers. 'Voilà, mystery solved!' Megan laughs.

'Come on, let's go upstairs!' Katy says cheerfully and she grabs my hand to pull me along. 'I don't want to be rude or anything but can I drink something first?' I ask. 'I would literally kill for some water right now.' I add joking. 'Evelyn, are you kidding? Of course you can have some water! Make yourselves at home!' Katy happily says. She quickly turns around and walks to the kitchen.

Me and Megan follow her and Katy walks straight to the fridge. I sit down on the counter, and look at the two girls in front of me. Katy has retrieved a blue bottle from the fridge and is now filling the glasses that Megan has put next to me on the counter. 'Here you go.' Katy says kindly while handing me one of the glasses. Megan grabs another one while jumping next to me onto the counter. The two of us just sit here laughing at how Katy clumsily puts the bottle back in the fridge with only one hand.

As I drink I feel the liquid seep throughout my whole body. I don't know what has made me so thirsty but man, I could empty that whole bottle right now! So after I emptied my glass for the first time I fill it up again, and again. After, I think, 5 glasses I finally put my glass in the sink and jump from the counter onto the cold tiles. As my feet hit the cold ground, a pang of pain shoots through my head, causing me to feel a little light headed. Katy and Megan have already left the kitchen but I can't move. I just stand here, completely frozen from the sudden change of feeling.

'You coming Eve?' Somebody shouts from what seems to be very far away. I can't make out who it is as my head keeps pounding loudly and painfully. I carefully drag my bare feet, and the rest of my body, towards the stairs; my hand never leaving the wall as I desperately try to stay on my feet.

'You okay?' the same voice asks when I finally reach the stairs. I tilt my head to look up at my friends, their faces covered with a worried expression. 'I'm not feeling very well.' I say with a sudden crack in my voice. 'Evelyn, you look damn pale! What happened?' Megan asks even more worried. 'I don't know.' I manage to bring out.

I slowly walk closer to my friends and they shoot me one last worried look before turning around and slowly walking up the stairs. I try to follow closely but the moment I put one feet on the first step another pang of pain shoots through my body, this time making me extremely dizzy. 'Katy, I - I fe-' It's suddenly really hard to form a complete sentence. '-feel dizzy.' She finishes for me as she turns around to look at me. 'You too?' I whisper as I continue to climb up the stairs. She simply nods and I realise that she probably feels exactly the same. When I look up at Megan I notice how she also looks pale and sick. We surely are all going through the same hell.

I barely reach the forth step when I give up. I slide down with my back against the wall. In the corner of my eye I see that Katy does the same a few steps further.

'What's going on with us?' Megan whispers, I can barely understand her. She reaches the last step but then collapses as well. I slightly start to panic now. 'Katy?' I ask reaching out for her hand. After repeating my question two times she still doesn't answer and I start to panic even more. I hold her hand tightly as it gets harder and harder to breath.

'Megan, - are you, - are you still, - awake?' I ask, inhaling painfully after almost every word. She remains quiet for what feels like ages and I start to lose fate that she is in fact still awake.