Gone

Chapter 8

I walk up a hill. When I reach the top of it, I can see them. All the people who left our city. It looks like a community. Millions of people. I walk down the hill and walk through the whole crowd of people, trying to find my parents. I see the back of a woman. Long brown hair like mine. I walk up to her.

"Mom?" I ask.

She turns around. Hazel eyes, just like mine. It is her.

"Teressa!" She cries and hugs me close to her. She squeezes me, I can feel her hands shaking.

"Mom, you don't know how much I missed you." I say crying on her shoulder.

I wake up.

I'm still in the grass next to Max's grave. The sun is up. It's silent.

I leave Max with a goodbye and I go to find another car. I walk down this one street. Nothing left but quiet. I can only hear my foot steps against the concrete sidewalk. Why am I walking on the sidewalk?

I'm not used to this. The silence. I would always hear cars driving by, beeping their horns when they're mad. Watching people walk next to me and walk past me. I miss that.

But I hear something else. Something loud, like music. I no longer hear my footsteps. I stop walking. I see a car drive out of a corner and drive down the street I'm walking on. That's where the music is coming from. The car stops next to me on the sidewalk. The window in the passenger's seat rolls down. I see a face. A boy. Who looks about my age. Short brown hair. Good looking. I walk up to the curb and look through the window.

"Hey, need a ride?" He asks me, smirking.

He looks familiar. Wait a minute. I pull out the photo that little girl gave me and look at it. It's him. He's her brother.

"Uh, hello?" He says.

"Oh sorry, yeah." I open the door and sit in the car. I shut it and turn my head to look at him.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

"No." I hand him the picture.

He looks at it. Tears come in his eyes and his face turns red and his nose scrunches up.

"Where did you get this?!" He snaps, looking at me mad in the eyes.

"A little girl gave it to me. Your sister."

"Where is she?!"

"She's at a hospital. Not too far from here. I saw her there, and she knew I was leaving and asked if I saw you, to tell you where she is, and so she gave me that photo."

He waits for a minute, looks at the picture again, and back at me.

"Thanks." He says. And breathes deeply.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, I just...."

"I understand." I say.

"You lost your family too?"

"Yeah. I can't find my parents. But I'm glad you know where your sister is."

"Yeah, I can't find my parents either. But thanks to you, at least I know where she is."

"Yeah, no problem." I smile.

He doesn't smile. He doesn't seem like he will ever smile. Or even could smile. Not until this happened.

"So where do I go? To get her?"

"Well, if you get her...you're gonna need a plan."

"What do you mean?"

"They won't let you leave. The people keeping her there."

"What?! That's bull shit! Who's keeping her?!"

"Don't worry, she's safe there. But yeah, it is bull that they won't let you leave. Me and this other kid had to sneak out, escape."

"And where is he?"

"He didn't make it." I say. And I look down at my hands, folded on my lap.

"He could of made it." I say.

He stares at me. I look at him.

"Well, I'm going to get my sister. Are you in or what?"

"Wait, I'm going with you?"

"Yeah..."

"Why? Why did you even ask me for a ride? You can't trust anyone here, what makes you think you can trust me?"

"I just thought you needed help."

"Help? Well I'm better off on my own thanks."

"Alright, you don't have to come with me then."

"Okay." I say. I get out of the car and slam the door.

"Your funeral." He says. Rolls up the window, starts the music, and speeds away. I continue walking in the other direction.