DEAD RISING

The Box

I put the bat, knife, and sword on the counter, and I press the mag release on the pistol. The magazine slides out and I catch it and inspect the back. "Ok, we have the sword, the knife and the bat and about....8 nine-millimeter bullets left." I slide the mag back in and pull back the slide chambering a round, then I switch the safety on.

"Dude... how do you know how to do that?" Grover stares at me.

"Video games." I shrug. "Wait... where's Annabeth?" I look around the room.

"In your room right?" Grover says butting bottled waters on the counter.

"The box..." my heart drops. I look at my room and the door is shut. I cross the room and fling myself over the couch, and I burst into my room. "DON'T LOOK AT THE ....box." I look at Annabeth...looking in the box. "Shit..."

"Percy..." she says.

"Um... just forget about that... that's not important now." I stammer.

"My school picture from sophomore year... a note from me asking if you where ok when you broke your arm... a cut out of the cast where I signed it." she looks at the stuff. "A ripped out year book page where I signed it, Have a great summer Percy, love Annabeth. And I drew the heart next to it."

"I...wanna...die..." I sit on the foot of my bed, my head getting to heavy and drooping down.

"Even a receipt I gave you when I had the summer job at a caffe... you ordered coffee, black... I remembered because you made the funniest face when you drank it." she laughs a bit.

"I panicked... and I wanted to look cool." My face near melting point.

She puts the lid back onto the box and smiles at the word on the lid. "My Treasures."

"Ok... you can stop now." I groan. "You must think I'm extremely weird, and you don't have to worry about seeing me on the ship. Because I'm gonna tie myself to the anchor and reach the bottom of the ocean." I flop back on my bed.

The bed shakes as she sits on the other end. "You don't need to do that, Percy." She says in a soft voice. "Why haven't you ever said anything about this?"

I shoot up. "What and go up to you saying, Hey Annabeth... I've been in love with you since kindergarten when you punched me in the mouth, and I have a box of stuff about you I keep so I never lose them."

"Since Kindergarten?" she says.

"Yep..." I say.

"Why haven't you ever asked me out?" She says.

"Cause you're the smartest, popularest, coolest, beautiefulerest... girl in school." I look at the floor. "And I'm a nobody who can't read and has had more head injuries than A's in school.... 3 head injuries, 2 concussions and a minor skull fracture." I look at her. "Your at the top of your league and I'm playing a different sport."

"Percy..." she says.

"We need to get going, bring the bags to the kitchen." I stand up and walk out.

"What happened? You look like you died inside." Grover says.

"She found the box." I say.

"Oh." Grover says. "I'm still upset I don't you don't have a box for me."

"I do, I was going to put in in your coffin when you die before me." I say.

"Dude..." Grover puts his hand over his mouth and waves his other hand on his eyes. "Wait... I die before you?"

"Here's the bags." Annabeth piles the bags on the counter.

A ragged tan canvas bag, a gray sleek bag, and child's pink Dora the explorer bag. Without skipping a beat, I reach for the tan canvas bag, and Annabeth got the gray bag.

"Oh, come on.... Fine, you're lucky I love Boots." Grover grabs the Dora bag.

We load our bags with snacks, water, and bandages. Grover took the bat, Annabeth the knife and I got the sword and gun. I move the love seat out of the way of the door and slowly open it the hall is pitch black. The only light coming from my apartment. We also grabbed some of my old military flash lights that hook onto our bags. I got them when I went into my military phase as a kid.

I click my light on and shine it down the left of the hall, then to the right. "Clear, let's go." I whisper.

"Why don't we go down the fire escape out your apartment window?" Annabeth asks.

"Good point.... Ok lets do that." I say as we go back in and shut the door.

Grover slide the window open, and I go first, we slowly make out way down the fire escape until we reach the end. A car hit the ladder for the fires escape and left a good 10-foot drop.

"Wait here." I say as I sit on the edge and drop down and hit the ground feet first. Years of skating taught me how to fall safely... but this still hurt like hell.

"You ok?" Annabeth asks.

"Yeah..." I look around for something for them to jump on. I spot a large city dumpster, I run over to it and give it a slight push. It's really heavy but it has wheels and moves. I quickly push the dumpster to the fire escape, and watch them jump onto it and jump down.

"Good thinking, Percy." Annabeth says.

We reach the street, crashed cars, and blood stains in the street, But it's clear. "Know where to go?" Annabeth asks.

"Yeah I think I can manage it. My mom and I go to these cabins near Long island sound, every summer. Even let me drive us there last year." I smile.