Emily Mangold
The room is pitch black and I can hear a haunting scream fill the air. The sounds of feet hitting the ground with wet slaps as if they’re caked in mud. I feel locked in place. I can’t even bring myself to move, shout, or scream. There’s a gargling sound like someone choking, and I realize it’s me. My throat feels clogged, and the strong taste of metal lingers on my tongue. I sweep it across my teeth to try and get rid of it, but my mouth feels filled with it. A strong bitter taste of blood… strong… and faintly sweet-
I jerked upright in bed, my hand clamping my chest slightly grasping my shirt tightly like I was trying to feel my heartbeat. I could feel cold sweat on the back of my neck, matting my short-cut hair to my face. I let out an exhale and sit up, throwing my bare legs over the side of my bed, revealing the same plaid boxers I had on for the majority of the day. The room was dark thanks to black-out curtains, but I could hear the bustling sounds from outside my own bedroom. It relaxed me.
“So much for a nap before work,” I muttered in a low gruff voice as I pulled open the curtains to reveal the busy streets of Chicago below. Thankfully the sun was going down in the distance, so the light wasn’t too much of a jolt to my system. However, it did leave behind the looming presence of going to work next, which was something I just didn’t look forward to doing.
As I opened the door to go to the bathroom, the intense smell of alcohol and grease hit me first. Stains littered the carpet in the hallway, some I could only guess were either soda or beer. I counted two empty cans as I walked to the bathroom, picking them up without a second thought and heading into the bathroom, tossing them into the trash can. I turned on the sink; it creaked for a moment before cool water spilled out. I splashed it on my face to help get rid of the sweaty feeling. I didn’t even think about my dream, my mind was already moving on to my other daily thoughts.
The water bill was due tomorrow, rent was due in four more days, I had a paper to write for college due soon, and Dad had a work interview next week. I didn’t do all the work, of course. Dad did help but after mom died three months ago, things went downhill pretty quickly for him. I just told myself he needed extra help organizing and keeping things together while he was checked out. He expressed gratitude towards me for the assistance and said he was finally ready to get a job again and start pulling his weight.
I wasn’t sure if I fully believed him. But I held out hope.
After going back and forth between the bathroom and my bedroom, I finished getting ready for work and went to the main kitchen area connected to the small living space. It was pretty small for a family of four people, but we had made it work. Dad was reclined in his chair, fast asleep with the TV on. My little sister Nora was sitting at his feet playing with her toy rabbit, her brown hair looked knotted a bit. Max, my teen brother, was sitting at the kitchen table, playing on his phone with his headphones on blocking out the sound.
“Nora, need a hairbrush?” I asked out loud as I plucked the phone from Max’s hands.
“Hey! August!” He scowled at me, pulling his headphones down to rest around his neck. Nora had run over during his whiny fit with a big smile, clutching her rabbit to her chest.
“Yes please, Auggie!” she said and threw herself onto the chair across from Max. I turned to look at the mess on the table, instinctively finding the hairbrush where it had last been left. I made a mental note to clean the place after work again. I patted her head, gesturing for her to lean back against the chair further. I gently ran the brush through her hair and turned my attention back to Max.
“Tell me about school for now. You can plug in again once I leave,” I said with a smirk on my lips. He leaned back in his chair with a groan.
“Maxie got rejected,” Nora said with a smile.
“Snitch,” Max commented glaring back at their younger sister. I raised my eyebrows as I gently maneuvered the hairbrush through another knot in Nora’s hair.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Zoe didn’t say yes?” It took me by surprise considering the two had been close friends since they were little. Max always harbored a hidden crush on the girl his age. Max let out a sigh and rested his chin on his hand.
“She said it was because she likes girls,” Max mumbled, his cheeks going red with embarrassment.
“Ouch,” I commented.
“Yikes,” Nora added.
“Shut up, both of you,” Max said, clearly annoyed. “I don’t even care anymore.”
“He’s lying,” Nora whispered, looking up at me.
“NORA!” he snapped, leaving her giggling.
I chuckled at their banter. We had always been close as siblings. Nora had just turned nine two months ago but she was too clever for her own good. Max was fifteen and clearly in his teen angst phase. I’m the eldest brother, twenty for a few days now. Most people don’t get along with their siblings, and I can understand that it’s a pretty basic belief at this point. But I got along great with them both. Of all the work I had to do to help out around the house, it’s all for them.
“Give it time. You’ll find someone. You’re in high school, you have plenty of time.” I told him calmly.
“Then why haven’t you gotten a girlfriend yet?” he asked smugly.
“Because I prefer boys,” I told him with the same smug attitude, causing Nora to burst out laughing again. “Plus, college has me busy as well as work in the hospital. I don’t have time to go on dates.”
Max fell silent after that, almost with a look that said he regretted the words that left his mouth a bit late. I didn’t blame him for forgetting my sexuality. I had been out for a while now, but it wasn’t something I talked about daily. Nora may not have realized how much work I did around the house, but I knew Max did. I finished tying Nora’s hair back in a ponytail and set down the hairbrush telling her to go back to playing. I sat down at the table across from Max.
“Sorry for forgetting,” he whispered hesitantly.
“Nah, I don’t mind,” I responded back in the same whisper. “You’re right. I probably should find someone soon instead of spending all my time working or studying.”
“But you won’t,” Max replied. My heart dropped a bit hearing that. If anyone could tell I was lying, it was my younger brother. I didn’t want to make him think I was like Dad, not keeping promises.
“Taking care of you is all I really want Max. I promise,” I said to him, trying to give him back some sort of relief. “Besides, I do have friends. I’m not completely ignoring my own wishes.”
As Max debated, I turned my attention to the news on the television.
“… influx in hospital patients from a mysterious infection is currently being investigated. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is now reaching its maximum capacity. There are no current add-ons to details about this outbreak other than notes of extreme violence in people and irrational behavior. Moreover, there seems to be ….”
**I narrowed my eyes at the screen. It wasn’t the place I worked at. I worked at the University’s medical center, which was for school use and student patients only, however, it certainly didn’t ease the tension I had built up from my abrupt wake-up.
“Maybe you should skip work today, August,” Max said, voicing my thoughts aloud. I considered listening to him. I did want to, but I needed the money today. I stood up and patted him on the head, ruffling his hair. We both looked a lot alike, with the same mousy brown hair and almond-colored eyes. Sometimes it felt like I was looking at a mini-me.
“I’ll stay safe. I promise,” I told him, handing him his phone back. “Remind Dad to heat the soup up on the stove for the both of you when he wakes up. There’s bread and cheese if you want to make a sandwich.”
“What if he doesn’t wake up anytime soon?” Max asked as I walked towards the front door, feeling Nora stop me for a hug. I knelt down to give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead goodbye before looking back up at Max and half opening the door to our unit.
“Then you have my full permission to punch him in the gut to wake him. You both better be asleep before I get back.” I said listening to their cheerful goodbyes before closing the door and locking it behind me.
“August dear!” I heard the voice call out to me from across the hall. I turned around to see a grown woman staring at me with a pleased smile. “Off to work again tonight?” she asked politely.
“Just like every night Mrs. Thompson,” I responded. “How have you been? How’s your husband?” I asked, trying to be polite despite needing to go soon. Mrs. Thompson was our friendly neighbor for the past few years. She was a great reference whenever I needed to get a job, seemingly understanding our situation pretty well. Her husband stayed in his den much like my dad, but at least my dad had a reason to hide away.
“Frank’s fine, though he’s also working tonight at the hospital to try and help out. I’m doing alright. I hope Pete and the kids are doing well,” she replied, and I nodded in affirmation. “Have you had dinner yet?” she asked.
“Actually, I woke up a bit late, didn’t have time. I was thinking I might pick something up,” I told her quickly, already starting to walk backward.
“Wait one moment,” she said, disappearing inside. I debated just going, but my guilt kept me planted in my spot knowing she would feel bad if I went. I normally liked chatting with her when I had the time, but unfortunately, that time escaped me today. Soon she came back out with a brown paper bag and handed it to me. “Good luck at work dear. If you need anything let me know.”
I didn’t need to peek inside to know she had leftovers that she didn’t mind giving me. I felt relaxed by her hospitality and motherly qualities. She often reminded me of my own mother when she was still alive. As much time as I could’ve spent flooding her with gratitude, I couldn’t stay for long. So, after thanking her, I turned on my heels and made my way to work.
The medical center wasn’t filled tonight. This wasn’t a place where most people were rushed to for medical attention since it was for students. They did have a few emergency patients in need of a place with the hospital filling up but most of the people in clinical were active on the second floor of the building leaving me more or less by myself as I cleaned the first floor’s lobby. I took a pause from mopping to let the floor dry, putting up the wet floor signs, and heading to a bench in one of the hallways with my supplies next to me to finally take a look at the dinner that was packed for me.
Inside was a wrapped parcel next to a bottle of water and an apple. I take out one mystery item and unwrap it carefully. It seemed to be a leftover chicken salad sandwich. While I’m not that big of a fan, I was too hungry to complain and quickly devoured it in just a few bites. It definitely satisfied whatever cravings I had. I took out the bottle of water. It wasn’t very bright in here, and it certainly didn’t feel very relaxing for patients. I would’ve felt more comfortable seeing a wall filled with the same tiny cartoon animals and cool stickers in a children’s hospital rather than in this place. It smelled like several air fresheners had been plugged into every outlet.
I took out my phone revealing the lock screen that showed me as a pre-teen standing beside younger Max. I was holding a swaddled baby in his hands. That picture was taken around the time Nora was born. I was only eleven at that time. Max was six. It had been my lock screen for quite a while. Scrolling through the gallery on my phone, many of the pictures were of my family. At least a third were of when Nora had stolen my phone to take selfies of her and Max. I didn’t have it in me to delete them. In one photo Max stood with a fishing rod in hand. Dad was positioned behind him, trying to help him hold it up. That one fishing trip ended up with Max pushing dad’s buttons enough not listening to where he was thrown in. Mom and I had to fish him out after he got soaked. I slid my finger to the right to reveal the next photo, sure enough, a blurred shot of Max getting pushed into the shallow water.
Mom faintly filled my screen, her shoulder-length brown hair was all I could see in the corner past the blur. I remember Nora and Dad laughing their asses off while Max thought he was drowning beneath the shallow waves. When he realized it was only a few feet deep, he stood up with reddened cheeks. Mom had scooped him up in her arms and played hero anyway, even if he was in no danger. The memory was fond and still fresh in my mind. I switched to contacts to dial Max and lifted the phone to my ear.
It took a few rings before the phone clicked and I could hear Max’s voice.
“What’s up Auggie?” he asked.
“Hey, Mad Max. Figured I’d check in and see if you guys have eaten anything yet.”
“Yeah, Dad just woke up and he’s debating ordering Chinese,” Max responded quickly leading me to pinch the bridge of my nose.
“I told you to heat the soup up on the stove or make a sandwich. The budget for this week doesn’t allow us to keep ordering out,” I told him calmly, being careful to not lose my cool.
“I’ll deliver the message again and hide the phones,” There was lingering hesitance on his part, but it relaxed me enough to know Max would step up at least. “How’s work?” he asked.
“Boring…completely and utterly boring,” I started with a chuckle. “Same as always.”
“Well, when you come home we should watch a movie, I found a new horror one with this guy who’s secretly a psychopath. He targets a bunch of teenagers on Halloween night or something…” I listened to Max ramble about the synopsis with a twinge of a smile on my lips.
I suddenly was acutely aware of something moving in the corner of my vision. I slowly turned my head to look down the dimly lit hallway. A man dressed in doctor’s clothes stood, looking partially confused as he dragged himself towards the stairwell near him. From a distance, I could see red on his white coat, dripping onto the floor.
“Max I gotta call you back. Give me a minute.” I said with a sigh and listened to my brother say goodbye before I hung up the phone.
I cursed knowing that I would have to clean that spot up again. I stood up to grab my mop and left the bag on the bench for now. I grabbed my mop expecting him to already be rushing back up the stairs to some emergency. Instead, when I looked up, he was still standing there swaying back and forth.
“Hey dude, are you okay?” I called out to him, only to get no response. I looked behind me to see if anyone else was in the hall to help, but it was even more empty now than it ever was. I took a few steps closer, heading down the hall toward the man.
As I got closer, I noticed the red dripping was definitely blood, and it looked like it belonged to him and not his patient, a large gash was on the back of his head, blood gushing out as he stumbled around. I dropped the mop immediately and rushed to his side.
“SOMEBODY NEEDS HELP!” I called out hoping that at least someone would be able to hear me and reached out for the man’s shoulder. He spun around and I only got a brief glimpse of wild eyes staring at me. Blackened all over. I slipped on the still-wet floor as I tried to skid to a stop. My head hit the floor pretty hard, and I felt a heavy weight settle over top of me from what I could make out, it seemed to be the doctor. Something dug into my arm, what I could only assume were nails from the iron grip they had. I could hear gagging and choking. And then a scream echoed around, the weight lifted from me, and I was left lying there on the cold floor. I blinked, my vision already blurry, and turned my head to the side to glance at my arm now coated in blood. It was warm and running down to the tile floor.
I pulled myself up to my feet, my vision swam, and it felt like I was drunk as I leaned against the wall to catch my breath and wait for everything to stop spinning. In the distance, I could just barely make out the sight of two blurry figures who seemed to be moving wildly at each other. The screams coincided with their movements along with panicked pushes and shoves. I slowly slid against the wall, making my way forward toward the two as it was my only exit point.
“Hey…” My voice barely escaped me as I saw up close what was happening. The lady who had screamed was now getting brutally attacked by the doctor. He was swiping at her with brute force and heightened aggression. It was unnatural and wild, like a caged animal finally being set free. She didn’t even have time to make a sound as she tripped and fell against the wall, I was leaning on a little ways away thanks to the wet floor.
I watched him throw his hands forward at her neck, grabbing the side of it and pulling it hard. She went silent and I stared in horror as blood poured from the now open wound and the doctor continuously ripped at her flesh as if it was searching for something he would never find.
Not he…it. Whatever it was. I stared at the poor woman, who barely had any life left in her eyes. I only now registered the fire alarms that were blaring in replacement of her screams, flashing lights hit my vision. I debated tackling it. Getting it away from her.
I’m not a hero.
I used his distraction with her body to push myself off the wall and run past, booking it out to my car without much of a second thought. I was keenly aware of every receptionist and waiting patient watching me run but their confused faces didn’t stop me. Especially when I heard the squeak of chairs abruptly pushing back, and someone let out a yell. I fumbled over the keys in my hand, shaking badly. As I got to my car, I put the keys in the ignition and grabbed my phone pulling it out to call 911. I dialed the number, but no one picked up. An audio recording played behind, but I had no time for that as I quickly dialed Max.
I raised the phone to my ear, trembling. “Pick up…pick up, pick up,” I whispered to myself as I turned on the car, it flickered to life, the headlights coming on and illuminating the road in front of me. There were red smears against the concrete, and while I may have rationally cooked up a reason before the events of tonight, now all I could do was think of the blood-soaked doctor and the woman getting her neck torn out four feet away from me.
The phone clicked, bringing my attention back away from the red floor.
“Max?!” I gasped out as my brother started to speak. “Max, are you there?”
“August? Are you okay? You sound like you just ran a marathon.” The boy said sarcastically. I didn’t even answer him as I pulled out of the parking lot quickly and fumbled with the radio.
“I need you to grab Dad and Nora and pack a small bag. I’m on my way back now.” I said without much of an explanation.
“August, what’s going on?” Max asked, sounding scared. Nora’s voice could be heard in the background, laughing as if nothing was wrong.
“I’ll come upstairs to pack a quick bag as well and then we’re all going to my car…” I kept going, unable to stop myself and calm down for even a second to explain. It was silent for a second before Max spoke again.
“Auggie, you’re scaring me…” It was then that I paused and realized how frantic and deranged I must’ve sounded. I stopped my car for a moment.
“Hey…hey, Max I’m sorry,” I said in a much softer voice. “It’s just, something bad is going on. Something really bad.” I couldn’t hide the pure panic in my voice as I checked the mirrors of my car multiple times to make sure that… thing hadn’t followed me. On one of the radio stations, the news was clearly being broadcast.
“…Emergency broadcast, all residents are suggested to report to the military barricade being set up on…”
I was tuning in and out, hearing Max’s voice and the radios but focused on the memory of blood hitting the walls.
“-ggie? Are you listening?” Max snapped.
“I’m here, I’m here. Sorry,” I replied.
“Are you alright?” he asked again. I realized I never answered that question.
“No,” I said in response. “Now go, Max. I’ll be home soon.” With that, I hung up the phone and started up the car again, speeding home and noticing how alive the highways were for this time of night.
When I made it back, I noticed how many people were running across the streets to get to their cars, carrying duffel bags. I got out and slammed the car door shut, wasting no time, pushing by, and running up the several flights of stairs to our unit. I pushed the keys into the lock and turned it, opening the door to the chaos inside. Dad was up now, packing bags with the television still on broadcasting the news. Max was throwing all his supplies into a bag already filled with clothes, including his phone and headphones.
“Where’s Nora?” I asked my dad immediately.
“Uh…” My dad looked around frantically. “She was here just a second ago, fuck!” He paused what he was doing but I stopped him before he could even ask about my arm.
“Pack my bag, I’ll look for her!” With that I ran off to her and Max’s shared bedroom, and I called out for her. “Nora!” A mess of clothes was on the floor, and I swung open the closet door. Screams erupted from outside the apartment, and I glanced out the window to see people running from someone else. A woman this time, who was twitching and swaying in the same way the doctor had been.
“Nora, please answer me!” I said, getting more desperate for an answer…and that’s when I heard the sniffle. It was so small I half expected to miss it. I looked down at the bed and knelt beside it to see her huddled in the corner on her side, crying and holding her rabbit plush. “Hey Nora, it’s me. Come on out.” I said and reached for her. “You’ll be safe, okay? I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” I promised.
Slowly she reached out and took my hand. I helped her crawl out from underneath and stood up. A throbbing pain entered my forehead. It felt like my body was going slightly numb. I stiffened slightly.
“You’re bleeding!” Nora cried out alarmed and I once again glanced at my arm. It had dried slightly on the ride but I’m sure being covered in blood certainly didn’t help my case of being fine.
“It’s just a scratch,” I told her and scooped her up in my arms, grabbing her bag and running back into the previous room. Dad handed me my bag and I carried Nora out of the unit. Mrs. Thompson was also leaving with her own bag. She looked scared to death, and I noticed her husband was nowhere to be seen. It was then I remembered he worked at the hospital.
“Come with us,” I told her, and she couldn’t do anything else but nod.
We all ran down to the car, I helped Nora, Max, and Mrs. Thompson into the back seat before pushing myself into the driver’s seat. Dad hopped in the passenger side beside me, and I wasted no time in driving off leaving whatever was left of our home behind us.
Once we got far enough away, traffic started to get backed up. The highways were full on the way to the barricade, it had started to pour outside, and people were abandoning their cars in favor of running. I slumped forward slightly over the wheel. My head was swimming, and it felt like a feverish chill had settled over my body. It hurt all over.
“August, hey kid.” I could hear my dad’s voice, but I was barely registering it. “Are you alright?” He reached out to clasp my shoulder and give me a shake.
I sat up slightly, fighting through whatever pain I felt. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I murmured, my speech slightly slurred. I turned back to look at Max and Nora. Nora let out a scream and my eyes snapped wide open. “What?” I asked. “Are you alright?” Max also seemed quite disturbed looking at me, as did Mrs. Thompson who leaned forward in her seat.
“Your eyes,” Max whispered. I spun around and fumbled with the dash above my head pulling it down to reveal the mirror. I stared at my reflection and froze at the sight that greeted me.
The whites of my eyes were blackening. Dark. I slammed the compartment shut and fumbled with my shirt sleeve looking down at the bleeding mess where I assumed the doctor’s nails had pierced me in a tight grip.
I felt myself beginning to hyperventilate as I rolled up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal a bite mark, it had dug its way into my skin enough to draw blood. The skin was bruising around the bite already.
As a child, I read about zombie apocalypses. I read all about those horror stories. But I never expected one of those stories to become real. I wanted to kick myself for not thinking of that concept sooner with all the evidence leading up to this moment. The hyperventilating clearly hadn’t stopped because dad reached out to place a hand on my arm.
“August,” he started. I pushed his hands away shaking my head.
“I can’t do this. I can’t do this. Don’t touch me! You can’t touch me!” I yelled as I pushed him away in the small, enclosed space of the car every time he tried to speak to me calmly and look at my arm. He suddenly grabbed both my arms holding me still.
“Pull yourself together!” he shouted, gripping my skin so hard, his fingers dug into my arm. “Let me see your arm and breathe! You’re scaring the kids!”
I immediately quieted, recoiling slightly, and glancing back at Nora who was hiding her face in Max’s shoulder. Wordlessly, I let my father inspect the wound while I looked out the window, hearing the muted horns beeping at each other. Spotlights from above flooded the streets as helicopters flew by overhead.
“I can drive the rest of the way,” he finally said.
“What? No, I can drive.” I found my voice, but it was wavering and shaky.
“I’m not asking, I’m telling.” Before I could continue arguing a loud thud echoed and shook the car. Out my dad’s window, a man was charging headfirst repeatedly into the car, leaving blood spattering on the window along with other chunks of flesh and whatever was underneath the skull.
Nora screamed and I could hear Max yelling as Mrs. Thompson protectively held them both. I fumbled around for anything that may have been the car to help.
But I was too late, and the glass finally shattered.
Leaving dad behind was a hard choice. But he had pushed me out of the car and told me to take the kids and run as he was pulled out of the car. I stared at him for a while before I was also pulled away. I had to push down my shock and go.
We had run for a while, I had Nora cradled in my arms. It seems she put my eyes behind her for now as she was clearly trying to process what happened to dad. The rain pelted against my face. I was soaked from head to toe in an instant after stepping out of the car originally. My socks and shoes had long since grown uncomfortable after running through puddles on the highway.
After all the running, we could finally see the mob of people standing outside the military barricade screaming and shouting to be let through. There was the sound of gunshots here and there as well as commanding yells. People who were ‘infected’ were being put down instead of being let through. I had to cover the kid’s eyes as we pushed through.
“What are we going to do?” Mrs. Thompson cried out, alarmed by the situation. I could feel Nora shivering in my arms, and I looked over at Max, whose hand was holding mine tightly. I knew I had to step up and get them all to safety. I pushed through the crowd, using the side of my body to move through the people trying to stand firm in my way. There was a team of agents standing up front with tape and shields in the back, urging people backward to go through one at a time, checking the people’s eyes with flashlights as it must’ve been harder to see faces in the pouring rain and dark sky. I looked around after reaching the front lines and saw a stray man standing off to the side. I pulled Max towards him making sure Mrs. Thompson was hurrying along behind us.
“Sir!” I called out. “Please. Please you have to let them through.”
He paused what he was doing and looked over at us, the children clearly scared in my arms. I guess I should’ve been grateful Nora and Max were still younger-looking. It scored empathy with these people who had families they missed.
“I need to check your eyes.” He said firmly with a nod and pulled out his flashlight. Mrs. Thompson went first, and then Max and Nora. I held out for last.
I squinted at first when the bright beam of light hit my eyes. I could just make out the pity on his face.
“You three are clear.” He said gesturing to the other three.
“What about August?” Mrs. Thompson asked. “You have to let him through, he’s all his siblings have left!”
“Ma’am I’m under direct orders that no one with his symptoms is allowed through the barricade. No exceptions,” he said before adding on. “I’m sorry.”
Everything else felt muted behind me. I couldn’t move. I could only hear my breathing and the muted shouts between the other two. My eyes drifted to Nora and Max. Nora had begun to cry.
“Auggie isn’t coming with us?” she asked with a trembling lip. Max was frozen, paralyzed in shock.
I knelt in front of them both. I swallowed down whatever fear I had left. I looked down at Nora and held her hand.
“I need you to remember to brush your hair, and take care of your bunny, okay?” I told her. My tears blended easily with the rain. “I don’t want you gathering too many knots.” There was a pained laugh in my voice as she sobbed in front of me.
“I w–will,” she managed to say through a sob. I brushed her wet hair out of her face and tried to smile at her.
“Be strong, okay? And keep an eye out for Max. He’s going to need you whenever he meets another girl. You can be his wingman.” The three of us let out pained laughs, forced through the pain. Nora nodded to me and puffed out her chest trying to appear brave.
I turned to Max and looked up at him standing there.
“I need you,” he whispered to me. “Don’t go.”
My heart lurched in my chest. Knowing that I had no choice but to stay behind and never see them again.
“You’ll be okay Max. I need you to be the big brother now,” I told him with a shaky voice. “I believe in you. You are so much stronger than you think you are.”
I could see his breath hitch and he let out a partial sob as he spoke again.
“Am I ever going to see you again?”
I could no longer see his face through my tears. Whatever smile I gave him, I could tell I didn’t buy it just as much as he didn’t.
“Sure you are, kid,” I said as a tear slid down my cheek. It was warm in comparison to the cold rain.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Max said, and I couldn’t help but laugh, using my good arm to wipe away any remaining tears in my eyes.
“I know,” I told him and felt weight crash into me.
Nora’s tight embrace wrapped around my torso as she cried. Max knelt and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I rested my good arm on Nora’s back and my bad one wrapped around Max and held his head close to my shoulder. I pressed a kiss to both of their heads as they sobbed into me.
“I love you both so much,” I told them.
I could see Mrs. Thompson was holding her hand over her mouth clearly holding back her own sadness. I looked up at her.
“Please take care of them,” I said to her. She nodded.
“I promise I will,” she replied.
“You need to move forward quickly.” The man directed from above us. His hand was on his gun, and I knew what would happen next.
“Keep each other safe,” I whispered to the two kids still huddled into me. I let go of them and they slowly untangled themselves from the embrace. I sat still on the ground as Mrs. Thompson pulled them away through the barricade.
Never again would I get to see them grow up. I wouldn’t get to be there to see them graduate or get married. I would never see another baseball game or host another princess tea party. Was my life worth it? That’s the only question I have left. I smile at them as they go.
Because I could see them looking back at me still when I felt the barrel of the gun being pressed against the side of my head.
A sob broke loose from Max’s lips. Nora buried her face in his shoulder.
Don’t look. I mouthed to Max.
But I could still see those tear-filled eyes when the sound of the gunshot came.
Emily Mangold is a junior at Cedar Crest College and an accounting major. She loves to write in her spare time, mostly in genres of fiction and horror.