Kidnapped

Chapter 31

Only a few more chapters!! (its still not the end, lol) Thank you to anyone who's read this story! I appreciate your feedback and everything!! :) :)

Hope you like itt!!

Chapter 31:

I didn't know what came first, the tears or the water from the dust falling into my eyes.

Jake was gone. For good, this time. He wasn't coming back. He was dead.

The realization of just that hit me at the same time something crashed into my side, sending a sharp pain shooting through my body.

I screamed, both from the pain and from the anger that welled up inside me. The man that had caused all of this had gotten away.

I fell onto my back on the sharp rocks, and just laid there, staring upwards at the black cloud of dust. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, and I couldn't move. But none of that mattered at the moment.

My little brother was dead.

He found me through the cloud of dust. His hands found mine, and then he wrapped his arms around me as I cried.

"He's gone, Dave." I said, looking up through the dust though I could not see his face.

"I know." He whispered, close to my ear.

I wrapped my arms around him as hot tears fell from my eyes silently.

"I can't believe it." I said, then buried my face into his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. He was still here, he was still alive. Why couldn't Jake be, too?

"It's all my fault." Dave told me, his voice rumbling through his chest. "I left him out here with them, told him to make sure they were okay. He must have gone back inside. It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault." I replied, looking up at him. The dust had cleared a little and I could see his face, the tears falling from his eyes.

I took my thumb and traced it under his eyes, wiping away the tears.

"Nothing's your fault. Dave, you saved all of these children! You're a hero!"

"No, I'm not. Jake was the one that knew how to escape. He freed them all, then led us to the exit. Jake's the hero, not me. And he died."

"Dave! Don't-"

Loud sirens cut through the cloud of dust like a sharp knife slicing an apple in half, causing us both to turn our heads. Dave stood, then helped me up. We headed towards the sounds to see a line of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks driving towards the demolished building.

Flashing lights. Dust. It was like a giant deja vu moment.

In seconds, the place was scattered with police, paramedics, firemen.

The children were being put into ambulances. They were given water, food. Help. Love.

Police were taking pictures, investigating the scene.

Dave and I were standing in the middle of it all when somebody started tugging on my arm. I turned around to see a small girl, no older than nine years old, staring up at me with the biggest, bluest eyes I'd ever seen.

She wore what was left of an old pair of jeans, and a small shirt with holes in it everywhere. She was covered in dirt and dust from head to toe, and several bright red cuts stood out on her skin.

The only thing that actually looked nice about her was her eyes. They were bright, and full of life.

"Are you Erica?" She asked, her voice shaking. She looked down at her feet, then back at me nervously.