Chapter Twenty-seven: Sick Day
As I tried to pull my pants on, I completely collapsed on the floor. My body was exhausted, despite me getting almost nine hours of sleep. I felt like I was on fire. I couldn't stop sweating. I was definitely sick, probably with a fever. It probably had to do with the fact that I've been walking in the freezing cold.
Mufasa sat down next to me and whimpered. I raised a hand to pat his head and assure him I was okay, but my arm felt extremely heavy. I sighed, attempting to get up. When I failed at that, I simply shut my eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.
Before I was completely out of it, I felt something hit my shoulder. I opened one eye to see Tanner kicking my shoulder. I groaned, finally sitting up. He crouched down to my level and frowned.
"You're sweating in the middle of twenty-degree weather," I couldn't tell if I was a question or a statement. "Are you sick?"
I shrugged, "I'm cold."
He sighed, helping me up. Once I was up, he guided me back to my bed and tucked me back in. I tried protesting, but I couldn't stop shivering. He must've noticed because he grabbed me another blanket.
"I'm not gonna be home today, so I'm gonna call Griffin," He stated, getting up.
I shook my head, "No, no, no. Y-you can't. He doesn't have a ph-phone."
"Yes, he does. I've had his number since Christmas," Tanner pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
Since Christmas? Why didn't he tell me?
I tried sitting up but quit halfway through. I desperately needed sleep. I'd have to argue with him later. Tanner's voice slowly faded as I drifted back off to sleep. Not too long after, I felt like I was burning alive. I kicked my comforter off and threw the blanket across the room.
"Careful, you could hurt someone with kicks like that," It was Griffin.
I groaned, slowly sitting up. My head was pounding, "How long was I out?"
He shrugged, "I got here an hour ago, so I'd say about an hour."
"There's medicine in the cabinets in the kitchen. Could you get me some? My head hurts," I sighed. There was a moment of hesitation and I was reminded of his actions last time I wanted medicine. "Please don't fight me on this. My nose is stuffed, I'm tired, I'm hot, and my throat hurts. A headache is the last thing I need."
He sighed and left the room. He may have been gone for about a minute, but it felt like forever. I was freezing again and all I wanted was the blanket I kicked across the room. The second I stood up, my legs felt weak. I imagined noodles taking the place of them for a second.
Wouldn't that be cool?
Idiots like you think everything's cool.
I'm not an idiot! I'm just imaginative!
No, honey, you're just idiotic.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my blanket. I spun around and saw how far away my bed was. It felt miles away. Instead of trying to go back, I leaned against my wall and slid down. I ended up on the floor, wrapped up in my blanket.
I yawned. I had the flu once before when I was a kid. Back then, commercials made the flu seem fatal. I was terrified when Dad told me I had it. He then explained to me I wasn't going to die, I was just sick. I experienced the exact same symptoms then. The chills and sweats, the loss of appetite, the headaches. It went away after two days, so I hoped it would do the same thing this time.
"Mackenzie?!" Griffin's voice was laced with concern.
I mumbled incoherently to get his attention. His alarmed expression was replaced with relief. He set down the bottle and came over to me. He, like Tanner earlier, crouched down to my level.
"You look like a burrito," He whispered.
"Fine by me," I shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, this burrito is gonna get some sleep."
"What about the pills?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm too sleepy for drugs," I smacked my lips.
Your lips are drier than a desert. Gross.
I chose not to respond this time. Instead, I shut my eyes. I was far too tired to deal with her now. I heard Griffin walk away and I drifted off to sleep once again.
-*-
"Griffin?! What the f-"
He slapped his hand over my mouth, silencing me, "Shh! I can't stay long. I had to see you-"
"Ym-hmm-hmm?" He removed his hand so I could speak. "You missed me? How sweet!"
He gave me a stale face, "Now's not the time."
Romantic of the year goes to...
"Mackenzie, this is serious. The council wants you dead. You know too much and they've decided you're causing too many problems," He sighed. "I've been trying but I can't anymore."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "Can't what? Finish a thought?"
"I can't hide you anymore. I need that seat on the council. More than anything."
Before I could say anything, my window was smashed open. Men in all black flew through. My eyes widened as I tried to get away, but one of them grabbed my foot before I could. I turned around and realized it was Griffin.
I swallowed down a sob, "Griffin! Don't do this. Please!"
He began dragging me towards him. I tried to fight but failed. I clawed desperately, trying to find something to fight back with, but turned up empty-handed. Eventually, I stopped.
He threw me to the men and watched them drag me away. It took seconds to disappear and reappear in a new world. It looked normal, but there was a certain vibe about it.
Death.
This was Griffin's world. He was right, Reapers look like normal people. They all stopped and stared directly at me. I must've been a sight to see. A girl in her tank top and fuzzy pajama pants being dragged through the streets.
"Get a good look at it," One of the men whispered to me. "Because it's the last sight you'll see."
We soon arrived at the dark chamber. They dragged me further down. I could hear screams from everywhere around me. There was blood on the floors.
"Don't worry, you get the cleanest death," The man said. "Pity we had to waste such clean water."
Before I could comprehend his words, I was tossed into some sort of tank. When I resurfaced, I realized there was a plastic lid coming down to cover it. They were going to drown me.
"Here comes the best part!"
Suddenly, the water began warming up. It would've been pleasant if it didn't continue to warm up. I was either going to drown or burn to death in the water. Either way, there was no way out.
I was oddly accepting of my death.
That was until I turned and saw Tanner's body floating next to me. It was bloated and lifeless. I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears pouring from my eyes.
"Relax! You'll be with him soon!" That was Griffin's voice. "Close the lid! We're done here!"
Suddenly, Tanner's eyes shot open, "Mackenzie!"
I cried even harder. I couldn't stop. Tanner kept calling my name, but his voice was deeper than usual. Suddenly my body started shaking uncontrollably.
My eyes shot open and I realized I was just in my room. My heart was pounding. I blinked a few more times and realized Griffin had shaken me awake. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away my tears. My head was hurting again. This time, it felt worse. That dream was entirely too realistic.
I looked Griffin in his eyes, "G-Griffin?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it's just me. Are you okay? You started screaming and I-"
"You have to promise me you'll protect me," I blurted.
He furrowed his eyebrows, "I already-"
"You said you would. That's not a promise. You have to promise me, Griffin," I felt tears forming. "Promise me."
"I promise I'll protect you, Mackenzie," He assured me. "It's my job as a Reaper and your friend. I promise I'll protect you, Mackenzie. You have my word."
I nodded, feeling myself relax. Griffin, however, looked alarmed. His eyes were wide and his shaky hands were still on my shoulders. He may have been more shaken up than me. I wondered briefly why, but figured it was for a later time.
"Sorry for scaring you. I just-"
"Why are you apologizing?" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Does this happen to you often?"
"It was just a fever dream. Don't worry-"
"Does this happen to you often, Mackenzie?" His voice was firm.
I gulped, "Uh, well, it happens from time to time. Not all the time! When my grandma first passed, I had nightmares all the time. And they came back around the time you told me I was gonna die. Other than that-"
He sighed, "What happened in the dream?"
I sighed, "You sent me off to my-"
I froze.
I couldn't finish my sentence. He sent me off to my death in my dream just like he's going to do in October. Maybe that was the way I was destined to die. Maybe it couldn't be helped. I didn't know much about Griffin, but I knew there was more to him than what meets the eye.
"Griffin, how do I die?"
He seemed taken aback by my question, "Uh, what?"
"How do I die?" I repeated with hesitation.
"That's what I thought you said. Mackenzie, I think-"
I backed away from him, suddenly fearful, "Why don't you just tell me? You're gonna cause my death, aren't you?! You're gonna kill me!"
"Mackenzie, what are you-"
Even though my muscles were tired, I still managed to spring out of bed. Unfortunately, I crashed onto the ground. Not only was I sick, but my arm was in pain. On top of all that, Griffin could be here to kill me and I just didn't know it. It would explain how he knew so much about me, but so little about who I am.
"Mackenzie!" Griffin was by my side in a second flat. "What were you thinking?!"
"You're gonna kill me!" I cried. "Why now?! Why?!"
"I'm not here to kill you, Mackenzie!"
"Then why won't you tell me?!"
"Because I don't know how you'll die!" He exclaimed.
Like I said, you're an idiot.
"W-what do you mean-"
"Your death is classified as uncertain. Usually, I'd be informed by now of your cause of death. However, they gave me your file and there was no record of how you'll die. That space was blank. That usually means uncertainty. There are a number of ways you can die and it hasn't been determined."
I finally calmed myself, "Griffin, I'm so sorry."
He sighed, "Is your arm okay?"
I nodded, feeling guilty. Him not acknowledging my apology didn't go unnoticed. This isn't the first time, but I still found it strange. He didn't have to accept my apology, but he acts like it never happened. I wonder if that was something he was taught in school or something that tied with his personal life.
Either way, I had a feeling he wasn't about to let me find out. Especially not after I accused him of being my murderer. This fever was really working against me. I was becoming delusional. I was tired, but I was in no mood to sleep. I just wanted to watch TV in the living room. There's was something about the living room that made me want to spend more time in there than my room.
"I think I just wanna watch a movie in the living room. Better yet, a survival show. I'm in the mood to see a man and nature fight," I sniffled.
He helped me to my feet, "I know a good survival show we can watch if you don't mind nudity."
I gasped dramatically, "You watch tv?! Really?!"
He rolled his eyes, "Seeing people doing worse than you makes you feel better about your surroundings."
"That's a bit sadistic, don't you think?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Do you wanna watch the show or not?"
And just like that, we spent the rest of the day watching people struggle to survive in the wild, me wrapped in a blanket and cuddled up next to Griffin. Sure enough, it made me feel better about me being sick.
//
This chapter's not the best, in my opinion, but I've been focused on so much on school. And there are auditions for a show coming up. Wish me luck! (by the time you're reading this, they'll have already passed...) Anywho, thanks for reading!
Tatty bye <3
EDIT: Yeah, I didn't make callbacks. But it's fine. ANYWHO, please forgive me for uploading late. I totally forgot it was Monday. However, I spent the day writing another chapter!