Drea

Chapter four: Nightmares

After I had skinned and gutted the moose, I packed as much of the meat as I could into the dozen zip lock bags we brought with us on our little hunting trip. My arms were still aching from dragging Cyan to the cave, so I was definitely not going to drag the giant moose carcass the forty minutes to the cave. I'm pretty fit from tramping through thick snow for days on end, but even I was reaching my limit. I bunched the zip lock bags full of meat into my backpack, they almost all didn't fit. 'I should have taken my sleeping bag out and left it at the cave.' I thought in agitation. The snow started to fall faster and the wind picked up. I better get going, it looks like it's going to blizzard. I took one more long look at all that meat still left on the moose before walking as fast as I could back to the cave. "Maybe some other animal will get a meal out of it." I spoke aloud.

I threw my backpack into the cave and dropped the pile of sticks right next to the opening before crawling inside. Cyan is awake with his sleeping bag pulled up to his neck. His moans of pain fill the small cavern and I try hard to ignore them. "I'm sorry Drea, I'm....." His voice trembles in agony. "I'm sorry for getting us into this mess." His voice cracks at that last word. "Don't worry about it." My voice sounded emotionless to my own ears. "I'll leave for town tomorrow and then lead them to where you are. They will most likely bring a helicopter out here since there's no roads for miles." I can hear the accusing tone of my voice. I don't mean for it to sound harsh, but it comes out like that anyway. I don't think he heard anything I said anyway from the look of agony on his face. Earlier I emptied all the contents of the first aid kit into the small front pocket of my backpack and threw away the container, to try and conserve backpack space. I'm glad i did, it allowed me to fit the last two bags of meat into my backpack. I grab the little packet of painkillers out of my bag and hand him two and a canteen of water. He gulps them down greedily. I turn back to the door of the cave and create a small fire with the sticks I gathered on the way back. I make it half in the cave, half out, so we won't choke on smoke. I hold each piece of meat over the fire with a pair of tongs until they're all completely cooked. Cyan quit moaning of the pain and is now moaning of hunger, as am I. On the outside the meat is burnt and blackened by the fire, but the inside tastes amazing. Cyan and I eat every single delectable bight before trying to sleep. I try my hardest to give Cyan as much space as I can so I don't bump his leg in the night, but in the end we're squashed up between the cold stone walls and each other. Its cramped and uncomfortable, but its warm and I'm totally exhausted.

My moms agonised screams echoed through the halls, as did my dad's words of encouragement. I dropped my school bag on the floor and ran into my moms room. "Drea, try make your mom more comfortable." My dad said in a panicked voice. I stuttered before running to the bathroom and wetting a cloth in cold water. 'My moms having the baby!' I thought in panicked excitement. I ran back to my mom and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "I called the hospital 10 minutes ago, but they're still at least half an hour away." My mind reeled and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I grabbed my moms hand and whispered words of encouragement. "What else can I do dad?" He looked at me gravely. "Just try and keep her awake."

Minutes felt like hours as my mothers grip got weaker and her screams turned into moans. It had been almost half an hour and the paramedics still weren't there. There was blood everywhere and my mom was getting weaker by the second. I talked I to her about school, about my friends, I even tried getting her to choose a name for the baby. I rambled on about anything that came to my mind. I tried with all my might to keep her awake and fighting, but even so her eyelids fluttered closed.

I wake up sobbing. I bury my face in my sleeping bag so Cyan doesn't wake up. I look at Cyan's pale face. He has dark bags under his eyes, they're so dark they look like bruises. I hate seeing Cyan in so much pain, he's the only one who's been there for me over the years. He's the only one I have left. My dad sunk into a deep depression after my mom died. All he does, day and night, is stare into space. He looks at Cyan and I like we're strangers and I think that's what hurt the most. Having your dad still be alive, but having him look at me like he didn't recognise me at all. I lost three people that night. My mother, my unborn sister and my father.