Page 3

It hurts to move my head, like I’m being hit with a hammer.
I can hear soft whispering.
“He’s just a little boy. He’s still very young,” someone yells.
“How sad.”
Sadness.
That one word makes me go crazy. I try to sit up, but it’s too painful. I want to yell, but all I can do is whimper.
I can sense someone running towards me and putting me back on the bed. My head hurts a lot.
Why is it so painful, God?
“Liam.” A man’s voice echoes nearby.
That voice sounds familiar. It seems familiar.
It’s hard for me to open my eyes. My eyelids flutter, and I try to open my eyes very slowly. I’m sure I’ve done it, but I keep failing. I can’t see anything. It’s completely dark.
“Hey, Liam,” the man says again, and I finally remember his voice. “It’s me, Victor.”
“F-Victor?” My voice is shaking. It sounds so weak and scratchy. “Where are you?”
“I’m right here next to you.”
“Where?” My voice gets more and more scared. “Where are mum and dad? Where’s Sophie? I need to see them.”
He hasn’t answered, which makes my heart race. I hear someone crying again. It could be a nurse.
“Why aren’t you answering me?” I ask. “Where are they?”
Victor smells, which is horrible to me. He’s sobbing.
I can’t believe that Victor never tears. And I don’t like this.
“I’m sorry,” he adds in a mournful voice. “I’m so sorry about what happened to your family.”
I don’t know what to say. I feel something moist on my cheek, and I know I’m crying too.
I’ve always tried to be tough and not cry, but tonight it’s just too much. I can’t stop crying.
“What are you talking about?” I say angrily. “Where are they?”
“Liam.” Victor takes a big breath, like he’s trying to calm down too. “I did attempt to warn your dad, but he didn’t listen. I knew he wasn’t
They were meant to leave the house this morning. They had intended to kill him on the way, but Victor stops and swears under his breath.
I stop.
They?
Who are they?
Are these the people dad wanted to shoot before?
I increase my voice and say, “What happened?” I’m getting even more impatient. “What happened to him? What happened to Mom and Sophie? Why aren’t you taking me to see them?”
“I–” It looks like it’s hard for him to talk. “I don’t think you’re in the right state of mind to know—”
“Victor!” I scream.
My chest is going up and down. I’ve never talked to him like this, with such authority. But I’ve run out of patience. I want to know it all. I want someone to make all this anguish go away.
Victor lets out a sigh. “A van coming from another road hit your father’s car on the right side, killing your mother and father right away. Sophie and the driver were not hurt as badly.”
I feel like everything around me is falling apart.
“They didn’t make it either. You’re the only one who lived. It’s a miracle—”
“No.” I shake my head and cry louder as tears flow down my face. “No, it can’t be true. You’re lying. You’re lying to me.”
“Liam—”
“I need to see them,” I scream.
Because of all these wounds, I can’t move my body. I just don’t want to sit here and shake with fear.
“Just tell the doctor to do something to my eyes. I can’t open them. Do something,” I yell.
“Liam.” Victor’s voice is full of sympathy. “You’ve already opened your eyes.”
His remarks shock me. It’s already dark here, but I feel like I’m sliding deeper into an infinite hole.
He whispers, “I’m sorry.” “It must be because of the crash. I can’t see you like this, Liam. I can’t—” His voice shakes as I feel him move from where he is.
“Where’s Ethan?” is the only thing I can think of to say as my heart breaks into a million pieces.
I cry again because Victor doesn’t answer.
“Where is he? I want to see my brother.”
I have to see Ethan. He’ll say that everything is OK. He’ll tell me what I need to know.
Victor finally says, “He’s here.” “But I don’t think you two can meet soon. He’s not in a good place either.”
That being stated, Victor goes.
********
I wait and wait and wait. Ethan still hasn’t arrived, though.
The doctor came to see me, but I couldn’t understand what he said. He didn’t answer the question that had been on my mind for a while. He stated I needed treatment first, as if he were waiting for a therapist to talk to me about my eyes.
When I hear people yelling outside the room, I come to my senses again. It’s Ethan.
His loud, agitated scream echoes in the air, “I need to see Liam!” “I have to see my brother!”
I can hear the noise around him, like the nurses are attempting to move him to another room so he can’t see me.
One of them adds in a calm voice, “Ethan, please.” “Neither of you is doing well right now. Help is on the way. You can see your brother when you are both better. It’s for his own good and yours too.”
I understand what’s going on. They act like we’re helpless kids, but what can we do to change that?
Yes, we are kids.
“Ethan,” I say with a stutter. “Ethan!” I yell with all the strength I have left.
“Let me go,” he hisses at the people around him, and I can feel him move when he runs to the bed.
“Where are you?” I ask.
“I’m here.” He takes my hand and I can feel how warm his skin is. I’m holding on to him like my life relies on it.
“Why can’t I see you?” I cry.
I want to see. I really want to see. I can’t stand this gloom.
“Why can’t I see anything?”
I get even more restless when Ethan doesn’t say anything. I didn’t expect him to behave this way.