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Alex knew something was a little off about the vendor when he laughed off the spilled pickle juice. He also knew something was off when the hotdog tasted more metallic than the usual flavor of the pickle juice. But he really knew something was wrong when his breathing started to get more rigid.
He looked over at his bandmates, Luke, coughing out a strangled breath, and Reggie, face paling whiter than his usual fair complexion. Alex could feel his stomach start to twist into a deeply uncomfortable feeling of either dread or pain, he couldn’t tell the difference yet.
“Hey..., do you guys...feel a little…off too?” Luke breathed out between shallow sighs.
“Yeah, but I can’t really tell if it’s just nerves or something worse,” Alex responded, sweat beading along his hairline. “What about you Reggie?”
Reggie grunted with a clear wince in his tone. The two looked over at him, his face twisted into a pained grimace.
“Hurts,” he spoke, voice barely rising above a whisper. Just as Alex went to comfort Reggie, Luke let out a choked groan curling in on himself, street dog long forgot on the wet pavement below him.
“Boys I really don’t feel so hot. I think I’m gonna-” Luke cut himself off with a violent surge of vomit escaping his mouth in front of him.
“Oh, dude, come on. That’s disgust-” Alex stopped when Reggie leaned over the side of the coach and vomiting just as hard as Luke did before. “Um, guys?”
Alex reached over before feeling his stomach tighten into a sharp stabbing pain. He let out a pained breath before feeling his own vomit trying to sneak up his throat. With all the energy he had left while pushing down his own food, he called out to the people nearby.
“Please! Somebody, please call an ambulance!” he yelled out, ending it with his own violent hurl. He looked down to see a small red streak in it, dread starting to cloud his mind. He looked back at his bandmates, tears springing to his eyes seeing them look so pained and defeated.
“Luke. Reggie. Please hold on. Please.” His voice quivered, tears now streaming down his face.
“Alex. Reggie. I’m...I’m sorry.” Luke whispered, voice going lower with each word, tears flowing freely down his face. He dry heaved a few more times before lying back with a shiver. Alex grasped his left hand squeezing it tight to remind him to stay awake.
“Luke?” Reggie looked over next to him. Luke didn’t respond. Reggie started nudging him with the little strength he could gather. “Luke, please…” Reggie was now sobbing.
“Alex he’s not responding. Why isn’t he responding? Luke, say s’mthing.” Reggie started to ease up a bit, body relaxing too quickly for the drummer’s liking.
“Reggie? Hey Reggie, you ok?” Alex whimpered, hissing at another stabbing feeling to his gut. “Reggie? Are you with me?” He leaned over and tapped Reggie’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m...I’m here.” Reggie was still crying, now hiccuping with a dying vigor, while Alex sighed that he was still awake. “Alex? Is he…”
“No. No, he isn’t he’s just resting his eyes. See?” Alex nudged Luke. He didn’t move. Alex started shaking Luke’s shoulder. Still nothing. “Haha, uhm. Luke?”
Reggie started sobbing louder, Alex starting to hyperventilate.
“He’s not moving. Alex, why isn’t he moving? Why isn’t he-” Reggie started vomiting again. He slumped back with a concerningly low level of effort. Alex just stared at Luke’s lifeless body, silent tears streaming down his cheeks.
“ ‘Lex. I can’t...I saw blood. I’m throwing up blood.” Reggie started to whisper. Alex finally snapping out of his shock at losing one of his best friends, turned away to start heaving again, the acidic taste reaching his mouth again. He leaned back, body growing weaker by the second.
“Alex…” Reggie breathed, his left hand reaching for Alex’s, his right still holding Luke’s limp one.
Alex looked over grasping Reggie’s hand.
“Hey. Hey it’s go’n be ok, ok?” Alex’s voice was quivering, he could feel Reggie’s rapid heartbeat slowing.
“Alex, I don’t wanna die. Please, I don’t want to die, I’m not ready, please…” his voice drifting off, hand going limp in Alex’s hand.
“No. Reggie hey. I won’t let you die. Ok? Please. I won’t let you die.” Alex was squeezing the bassist’s hand, shaking it lightly with some effort of hope.
“Reggie?”
He used all of his remaining energy to pull his two brothers closer to him.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you both. I love you…” Alex could feel his own heartbeat slow as his grip on his bandmates loosened. “I love you.”
And just as quick as he could shut his eyes, he opened them, hearing the sound of the ambulance flood his ears. He opened his eyes to the bright flashing lights of red blinding him. He looked at the vehicle in confusion as he realized he felt better. Healthier. He looked over at his bandmates still lying limp on the couch, but then he realized he was too. He backed up from the scene and saw who he had thought was gone forever both standing to the side of the couch sobbing and hugging each other. They hadn’t even realized Alex had become a ghost yet. As they pulled apart, Alex stared at them, a smile stretching across his face as fresh tears of joy leaked from his eyes. Reggie looked over and immediately engulfed the drummer in a hug, the singer following just steps behind.
“We’re dead.” Alex breathed out, anxiety starting to build up.
“I never said goodbye.”
“I never got to say I loved them.” Reggie frowned.
“I never got to say I was wrong,” Luke whispered. “But at least we have each other, and that’s all we really need.”
Reggie giggled and Luke flashed one of his signature smiles. Alex just laughed holding his two best friends closer.
“Should we...can we watch them take our bodies, please? I need to know my parents find out.” Reggie mumbles, breaking the group hug to look back at the responders currently carrying Alex to the ambulance.
“Sure buddy,” Luke smiles, wrapping his arm around them both and walking over. As they all step into the ambulance and the doors close behind them, they start to feel lighter until they all notice they’re literally floating upward.
“I know I wasn’t great in science, but I swear this isn’t how gravity works.” Reggie mumbles, clutching onto Luke for extra security.
“No, this definitely isn’t normal. Maybe it’s a ghost thin-” Luke gets cut short by them all screaming as they get pushed up at a lightning fast speed into the sky where they enter a dark room.