Status: Complete 12/2/13. Thank you for reading. Feedback anyone?
When the World Was Ours
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I slept through it all. Can you even believe that? My dad used to tell me that was my gift. I could sleep through the apocalypse if I wanted to. I never actually though it would happen.
I’ve spent the past few months trying not to think about that day.
The night before, I stayed up late with my dad and we watched a documentary on the Discovery channel about wolves, his favorite animal. We made hot chocolate and snuggled together on our small couch. Sometimes if I’m really silent at night I can still feel his elbow digging into my torso and taste coco in my mouth. I told him I was afraid of what the morning would bring and he responded with “There is nothing to be afraid of. Everything is going to be alright, Bug. You’ll see.”
He was a liar.
I woke up in my bed to an eerie silence. There were no birds singing and no sound of Mr. Sanchez's lawn mower. I couldn't hear the T.V. coming from the living room or the bacon sizzling from the kitchen.
“Hayley?” I looked up toward my younger brother’s wobbly voice as he walked into my room. “Hayley.” He repeated as his shoulders dropped like he was relieved to see me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked afraid of what his answer would be.
His eyes glassed over and he looked at me and whispered “They’re gone.”
“Who’s gone?”
A tear escaped his left eye and he shook his head.
I feel my eyes burning.
“Who’s gone?” I repeated more desperate.
I thought I knew who was gone. I wanted to know how gone they were.
Nothing could have prepared me for what came out of his mouth. He started to sob and I pulled him into me and we both lied back down onto my bed. I knew I had to stay strong for him even though my hands wouldn't stop shaking and it felt like someone was nailing rods into my heart. I rocked him and repeated the false words my father told me the night before as we drank hot chocolate and watched the Discovery channel. “Everything is going to be alright. You’ll see.”
“Everyone Hayley. Everyone is gone.”
I’ve spent the past few months trying not to think about that day.
The night before, I stayed up late with my dad and we watched a documentary on the Discovery channel about wolves, his favorite animal. We made hot chocolate and snuggled together on our small couch. Sometimes if I’m really silent at night I can still feel his elbow digging into my torso and taste coco in my mouth. I told him I was afraid of what the morning would bring and he responded with “There is nothing to be afraid of. Everything is going to be alright, Bug. You’ll see.”
He was a liar.
I woke up in my bed to an eerie silence. There were no birds singing and no sound of Mr. Sanchez's lawn mower. I couldn't hear the T.V. coming from the living room or the bacon sizzling from the kitchen.
“Hayley?” I looked up toward my younger brother’s wobbly voice as he walked into my room. “Hayley.” He repeated as his shoulders dropped like he was relieved to see me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked afraid of what his answer would be.
His eyes glassed over and he looked at me and whispered “They’re gone.”
“Who’s gone?”
A tear escaped his left eye and he shook his head.
I feel my eyes burning.
“Who’s gone?” I repeated more desperate.
I thought I knew who was gone. I wanted to know how gone they were.
Nothing could have prepared me for what came out of his mouth. He started to sob and I pulled him into me and we both lied back down onto my bed. I knew I had to stay strong for him even though my hands wouldn't stop shaking and it felt like someone was nailing rods into my heart. I rocked him and repeated the false words my father told me the night before as we drank hot chocolate and watched the Discovery channel. “Everything is going to be alright. You’ll see.”
“Everyone Hayley. Everyone is gone.”