"Beep, Beep!" An alert popped up on my phone. "Turn off your light or you will be murdered. We received an email saying that whoever leaves a single light on in their house tonight, will not live to see tomorrow, along with anyone else in their household," a young brunette reporter in her mid-to late twenties announced. "As of right now, we have no clue to who sent the email, but we have our finest detectives on the case." As soon as she finished that sentence, I ran to my parents in tears, sobbing my eyes out.”

“They were in the middle of watching the final playoffs, so when I started shouting for them to listen, they just scolded me. Before I could even think, I turned off the television, and explained to them the situation and how their lives depended on it. The look in their eyes not only contained frustration, but pity. I could tell they thought I had lost my mind. "Mom, Dad, you have to believe me," I said, choking up on each word as I spoke. My parents were so predictable, so I knew what their next move would be. I snagged the remote. "Give it to me!" My father yelled. I did what I was told, and handed over the remote, to show that my brain was still functioning properly.”

“I had no idea what my next attempt to convince them would be. I had no idea how much time I had left. I ran back to my parents. "Guys, if you do not listen to me, there is no guarantee that I will see you tomorrow. I love you both too much to let that happen. Please, if you love me, turn off all the lights, every single one of them." That look in their eyes returned. I was so scared, afraid that life as I knew it would soon be over. I knew that there was no changing their minds, though I would not admit it to myself. "Please Mom, please Dad..." I asked, in the most desperately sad way possible. "No," my father replied sternly. I hugged them both, whispering I love you in both of their ears, incase I never got the chance to say it again. I walked to my room as if I was walking to my death. I locked the door behind me with a heavy heart, not sure if I would even want to live in a world without my parents, if it came to that.”

“I turned off my lights, and soon after, I fell deep asleep, so exhausted from all the crying. When I woke up the next morning, I was almost sure that it was all a dream, till I noticed the dried up pool of tears covering my face. It felt so gross and ugly, but I could not even think of washing my face when I wasn't even sure if my parents were alive. I unlocked my door and ran downstairs. As soon as I spotted them, I broke down into tears. I could not bear the weight of my body anymore; I collapsed. The room became dizzy, and my brain wanted to cry my heart out, but I knew it would not help. I struggled as I got back up, but managed to drag myself over to their cold, lifeless bodies. "Mom... Dad...," I whispered with tears in my eyes. Not only did my vision become blurry, but my mind and heart as well, too overcome by grief and depression.”

After May finished her story, there were tears in my eyes. May, my best friend, was an orphan. She always told me that her parents’ death was their own fault, but I had never believed her till I knew the ugly truth. I wrapped my arms around May to comfort her. Life can stink sometimes, but at least when you have a best friend, you can always find comfort in their arms.