short story

There was a boy and girl who had been friends for years. After a while, they began spending more time together and their friendship grew more close and intimate. Eventually, they confessed their feelings for each other and fell truly, deeply, madly in love.

They would often talk for hours on the phone and texted each other all day long. Whenever they were together, everything seemed right with the world and not a single sad thought could cross their minds.

She would wake up in the morning and go to school just to see his smiling face. He would stay up late, waiting for her call and fall asleep listening to the sound of her voice. She would steal his notebook in class, just so he had to put his arms around her to get it back. Every time he heard a love song on the radio, he would think of her with every single line.

Then, one day, the girl didn’t show up for class. He tried to contact her to see what was wrong, but she never answered his text messages. He tried to call her, but she didn’t answer the phone. The boy became very worried that something was wrong.

That night, he lay down in bed and tried to sleep, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Just then, his phone started ringing. It was her.

Boy: Hey, honey!

Girl: Hey.

Boy: I missed you at school today. Why weren’t you there?

Girl: I had to go to the doctor.

Boy: Oh really? Why?

Girl: Nothing. Just some flu shots, that’s all.

Boy: Well, you didn’t miss anything much.

Suddenly, the girl burst into tears.

Boy: What’s wrong? Why are you crying?

Girl: It doesn’t matter…

Boy: It does matter. I want to know why my baby is crying…

Girl: Can I ask you a question?

Boy: Of course…

Girl: Do you love me?

Boy: You know I do!

Girl: How much do you love me?

Boy: I love you more than anything in this world.

Girl: Would you do anything for me?

Boy: Yes, Babe. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.

Girl: Would you die for me?

Boy: Yes. Is something wrong?

The girl started crying even harder.

Girl: Really?

Boy: Yes, really!

Girl: Let me hear you say it.

Boy: I would die for you. Now, please tell me what’s wrong.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence on the end of the line.

Girl: Nothing… I have to go.

Boy: Wait!

Girl: I can’t… I’ve really got to go…

Boy: Don’t leave me hanging like this.

Girl: Sorry…

Boy: So, I’ll see you tomorrow at school?

Girl: Maybe…

Boy: Alright, bye.

Girl: Goodbye.

The next day, when the boy turned up at school, the girl was nowhere to be found.

Boy: Hey, have you seen my girlfriend today?

Friend: No.

Boy: She wasn’t here yesterday, either. She was acting all weird on the phone last night.

Friend: Well, dude, you know how girls are sometimes…

Boy: Yeah, but not her.

Friend: I don’t know what else to say, man.

Boy: Okay, well I gotta get to English. I’ll see ya after school.

Friend: Yeah I gotta get to Science. Later.

That night, the boy got another call from his girlfriend.

Boy: Hello? Why weren’t you at school today?

Girl: I had another appointment with the doctor.

Boy: Are you sick?

Girl: Um, I have to go. My mom’s calling on the other line.

Boy: I’ll wait.

Girl: It may take a while. I’ll call you later.

Boy: No! I want you to tell me what is wrong.

Girl: I don’t think we should see each other anymore.

Boy: What? What do you mean? You want to break up?

Girl: It’s the best thing for us right now.

Boy: Please don’t do this to me, Babe… I love you so much… I don’t want our relationship to be over.

Girl: Neither do I…

Boy: What have I done wrong?

Girl: It’s not you… It’s me…

Boy: I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.

Girl: I love you. Bye…

For the next three weeks, the girl was absent from school. Whenever the boy tried to call her, she never answered her phone. One day, the boy was sitting alone in the cafeteria when his friend approached him.

Friend: Hey dude.

Boy: Hey. What’s up?

Friend: Um… Have you talked to your ex-girlfriend lately?

Boy: No.

Friend: So you didn’t hear?

Boy: Hear what?

Friend: I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you…

Boy: Dude, just tell me!

Friend: She’s in the hospital.

Boy: What? Why?

Friend: Just go to see her.

Boy: Okay, thanks!

After school, the boy rushed to the hospital. At the front desk, he asked the receptionist if his girlfriend was a patient there.

Receptionist: Yes, she’s one of our patients.

Boy: What’s wrong with her?

Receptionist: I’m sorry, Sir. We can’t give out confidential information about our patients.

Boy: Where is she?

Receptionist: She’s in the isolation ward.

Boy: Can I see her?

Receptionist: I’m sorry, Sir. That’s not possible. The isolation ward is off limits to visitors.

Boy: I have to see her! Get out of my way!

Receptionist: Wait! No! You can’t go in there!

The boy pushed past the receptionist and ran off down the hallway. Eventually, he came to the isolation ward. Behind a glass wall, he saw his girlfriend lying in bed. It was a pitiful sight.

She had tubes coming out of her nose and mouth. Surgeons were gathered around the bed, working on her. They were wearing protective clothing and their faces were covered by masks.

The boy banged on the glass and shouted her name. The girl turned her head and was shocked to see him standing there. He waved to her, but she didn’t wave back. He was disappointed. Then, he looked closer and realized, to his horror, that she didn’t have any arms or legs.

Boy: Oh my God, are you OK?

Girl: I didn’t want you to see me like this.

Boy: What have they done to you?

Girl: Don’t look at me, please.

Boy: Babe! What happened? Talk to me!

Girl: I…

Boy: You what?

Girl: I have flesh-eating disease.

Boy: What’s that?

Girl: The doctors call it Necrotizing Fasciitis. I’m on life support. The disease is eating me alive.

The boy burst into tears.

Boy: This can’t be happening.

Girl: The doctors said I must have caught it when I fell into that sewage tank. They had to remove my arms and legs, but that didn’t stop it from spreading. There’s nothing more they can do for me. They’re taking me off life support in one hour.

Boy: Why didn’t you tell me?

Girl: I wanted to… Really, I did…

Boy: Why didn’t you?

Girl: I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt you.

Boy: Why did you break up with me?

Girl: The disease is contagious. I didn’t want you to catch it.

Boy: I don’t care!

Girl: I couldn’t take that risk. I love you more than anything.

Boy: I can’t go on living without you!

Girl: Don’t be sad for me. Just remember this: I love you and I’ll always be there with you in your heart.

The boy fell to his knees, doubled over in pain. Hospital security grabbed him and carried him away. Later that night, the girl was taken off life support and she died.

The next day, the boy didn’t show up for school. His friends wondered where he was. Instead, he made his way to the local zoo. He bought a ticket and walked towards the wild animal enclosures.

He took out a bottle of ketchup and poured it all over himself. Then, he started rubbing it into his skin. After wiping a single tear from his cheek, he went over to the tigers’ cage and jumped in.

The wild beasts were hungry and within seconds, they pounced on him and began tearing him apart. His dying screams echoed around the zoo. With their razor-sharp teeth and their pointed claws, the tigers ripped into his flesh and started eating him alive.

By the time the zookeepers managed to get into the cage and subdue the ravenous tigers, the feeding-frenzy was over. There wasn’t much left but a pile of clothes and some gnawed, bloody bones. In the pocket of his jeans, they found a crumpled note.

It read: “I told her I would die for her…”