Alone

Happy Birthday

March 14, 2010
The morning of my birthday. The morning everything changed. The day I lost my parents, and the day I was taken.

Mom: Lani wake up we have to go

My mom said while putting a sweater on me.

Lani: where are we going?

Mom: somewhere far away baby but we have to go now

I looked around and saw two of my bags packed and sitting by the door.

Lani: why what's happening? Where's dad?

Mom: he's in the car, come on!

I was basically dragged out of bed by my mom. Mom grabbed my hand tugging me out of the house. I didn't even put my shoes on. We hopped in the car and started driving. I buckled in and looked around to notice dad had a gun in his hands I looked over at mom and she had one too. I gasped and caught my mom's attention.

Mom: don't worry everything going to be alri- (BOOM)

.......I opened my eyes and looked around. I was sitting upside down in the car, I unbuckled leading to me slamming onto the roof of the car. Smoke burned my eyes as I coughed to try to clear my lungs. I peeked my head passed the two front seats to only see my dad. Instantly I started shaking him and quietly yelling his name. Eventually he regain consciousness. He squinted and looked around before unbuckling and meeting the same fate as me. Falling and groaning in pain.

Dad: where's mom?

Lani: I don't know.. Dad, I'm scared

Dad: don't be. Never be scared of anything, you can protect yourself better than anyone else. You just have to focus.

He opened the glove department and pulled out a little gun. It looked like a toy water gun it was so small. What was dad doing with it? His fingers would never fit in the opening to pull the trigger. He looked at me and cocked the gun then opened my hand and placed the tiny gun in my palm. I looked at him in disbelief.

Dad: aim, focus, shoot.

Lani: no I don't want to..

Dad: take it and if you hear gun shots or if I say run, you run and you run as fast as you can. Don't look back and don't come back. The gun has 10 bullets if anyone tries to get you...shoot.

Lani: dad...

Dad: shoot Lani then run don't stop, run as far away from here as you can and start a new life. Change everything about you. Promise me you will

Lani: ....but..

Dad: LELANI PROMISE ME!

I jumped at his voice and the fact that he use my whole name. My family never uses my whole name so I knew he was serious.

Lani: I promise

He crawled out the car and I followed. "Get behind the car" he said pointing to where he wanted me to go. I ran behind the car and watched him walk further and further away. He disappeared in the smoke from the accident. It was silent. The kind out silent that scares you and make you shiver. The silence the happens right before the girl in a scary movie opens the door to her own death. The type that makes your blood run cold and your hair stand. Out of nowhere an ear piercing bang echoes through the empty streets, I barely hear my dad yell run then a wave of gun shots go off. I turned around and bolted. A corner came up I turned there then stopped dead in my tracks to the sight of my mom. But she wasn't alone there were three guys there along with a woman. The guy standing behind my mom had a gun to her head. They all looked over at me, the woman had a sick smirk that swept across her face. My mom mouthed 'I love you'. The woman held up her hand in the shape of a gun then pulled the trigger, signaling the guys something which made them laugh. My mom closed her eyes and tried to yell RUN! But was shot down before she could finish the word her body fell to the ground. Two guys started running towards me. I lifted my gun, aimed, focused, then shot. "One" I whispered in my head. I aimed the gun at the next guy, took a deep breath, focused then shot. "Two" I whispered again. I put the gun down and looked at the body's laying on the concrete. The woman and other man grabbed something from out of the van they turned around with guns. I bolted back around the corner hear gun shots behind me they ran into their car to follow me. I ran into the nearest bush and stayed there until I saw their car pass and get out of sight. I got out of the bushes and ran to my mom. My knees got weak as I looked at the bloody face of my beautiful mother. I dropped to the ground as tears filled my eyes and rushed down my cheeks. That's when I realized I haven't cried yet, I was in so much shock that all the feelings weren't being processed. Everything began hitting me at once. I felt it all, my crying went from a few tears to a full on water show. It was a painful cry that hurt my throat. I heard more gunshots that forced me to get it together. I got up looked at my mother's dead corps one last time as tears still streamed down then left. I ran down the street making random turns and crosses. I've been running for about an hour now, I don't know where I am. But I know that I have to keep going. I'm aching all over so when I saw a bench I sat down to take a break. I woke up not too long later. I didn't even realize I went to sleep. I was a bit disoriented when I spotted the van of the woman and man that were shooting at me earlier I got up and tried to run as fast as I could but I was so tired so many things happened to me all in one day. I turned around and shot the last eight bullet causing the van to swerve around. The van still caught up to me and the man grabbed me with one arm and pulled me in. The guy punched me twice. I noticed the gun shot in one of his arms.

??Guy??: that's for the two men you killed.

??Woman??: two of our best you little bitch

She punched me in the face two more times. I stared was bleeding.

??woman??: Aw I can't stand seeing her like this Jay

Jay: me too hand me the bag Kim

Kim handed Jay a bag and put it over my head then began to beat me. I repeated their names in my head with every hit. Kim, Jay, Kim, Jay and so on. I began to cry the pain was excruciating it felt like hours before they stopped. I laied there bleeding and swollen with a bag over my head. They began to drive. The drive wasn't long. Once we got there they took me out of the van and carried me. They dropped me on what felt like smooth concrete. They took the bag off of my head then locked me in. I realized it was a brick room with a bed, no windows, and a toilet. I sat on the bed and cried I just watched my mom be killed I don't know if my dad is alive or dead. Worst of all this all happened on my birthday when I was taken the sun was barely rising so I know it's my birthday. Tears began filling my eyes once again. I started singing quietly to myself. "Happy birthday to me.......happy birthday to me " after each word it hit me even harder my mom was killed on my birthday probably because of me tears rushed down my face as a lump formed in my throat "happy birthday dear Lelani...happy birthday to me " I started crying even harder "happy 10th birthday Lani was it worth your life?"