Sorrow

Chapter 1: Breathe

The breeze stung against my neck, as I sat watching the sky turned to a deep black hole. I glanced at my phone, turning on the screen. I read 9:00pm "Damn, I guess I should start getting home now." I gather my bag, and jump off the ledge and start my way down the path. I had a strange feeling, and I couldn't really pinpoint what is was. All I know tonight is not the night for games, I turned down a street, which is about 5 or so minutes from my house. The cold November air made the hair on my neck stand still. I keep turning around making sure no one is following me, but I hear footsteps every time I take a step. I keep my phone gripped tight in my jacket pocket ready to hit speed dial for any emergency, but I'm pretty sure I'm just being paranoid. Finally I reach my driveway, open the gate, and already I can hear the screams and yelling from my parents inside. I open the front door and head up the stairs, straight to my room. My safe zone. Whenever I go to friend's houses they eat dinner at the table and their family talks about each other days and I wonder to myself, Why don't my family do that? I always go home, wanting a different life. My older brother walks in the room. "Katie, Mom is passed out on the kitchen floor again, come help?" I nodded. I'm more than positive that most families don't have to go through moving their drunken mother or father to the next room nearly every night. I pick my mother up and help carry her to the couch. I place a blanket over her to keep her warm during the night. I don't know why I care when I know she doesn't care about me. Tonight is going to be the night. I'm finally going to get out of this place, and take my brother with me. I would never leave him behind, he's been through just as much shit as I have. I run up stairs and start packing my things. The essentials. I pull on my bag, grab my wallet and head my way to Joseph's room. I knock on the door slightly and it opens. He's sitting on his bed scrolling on his phone. " Hey." I said. He looked up from his phone and nodded, " So..I got something that we should do, I know you're tired of being here just as much as I am, so maybe I was thinking we could go to Chicago and live?" He gave me a blank stare. " Before you say no, I'm going either way I just figured you would want to come along." His blank stare turned into a smile "Katie, you're genious! I'll start packing." I smile, and make my way down stairs and see our drunken mother still on the couch and I slip through the door. I start walking to the four door jeep. I jump in and start the engine, I wait for Joseph and think about how things will be. We can finally pursue our dreams and get out. I've been thinking about this day for months, but never had the guts to do it and now it's finally happening. Joseph makes his way to the jeep, and puts his things in the back. "Uh, could we go by and pick up my girlfriend Callie? I would want her to come too, since we are leaving for good." I look at him and start to say No and agree anyway. First stop Callie's house, My heart was thudding against my chest as I drove down the Kentucky Hwy. "It's right here on the left." I pulled in the driveway and watched his girlfriend slip out of the backdoor and into the back with Joseph. It was late at night, I glanced at the time on the radio it read 12:02 am. It feels like we have been riding for days, my eyes started to get tired. " Do yall think it would be okay if we pulled over and got some rest at hotel or something I'm getting kinda tired." They were both half asleep and nodded. I paid for my room and made my way and laid my suitcase against the wall and fell face first into the bed not giving a care at all. I wake up the sun was beaming into my face. I look at the analog clock 9:45am. "Fuck." I put on a change of clothes and brush my teeth and make my way out the door. I see Joseph and Callie in the lobby at the snack machine. "Sorry I woke up late, I just passed out as soon as I got into my room." I stated. "It's fine, Kate chill we're on the road we don't have a time limit to get to Chicago. It'll still be there either way." I let out a big sigh and head out the hotel and reload my things into the jeep. I catch a man staring from the distance. I try to look busy so he won't notice that I see him staring. I turn away back to my things and glance back over to see he's gone. I close the back of the jeep and turn around to see the man standing directly In front of me. "Hey, I didn't mean to startle you, I just wanted to say you have a very nice ride. I couldn't help myself to look at it." He explains. "Oh, you're quite fine I just wasn't expecting anyone to be behind me, and Thank you. I've had it for about 2 years now." I said. He just gave me a weird stare, and I turned away and I made my way back into the hotel. I couldn't find Callie or Joseph I started to panick. I looked around everywhere and they was nowhere to be found. I traced my thoughts trying to remember their room number. I was thinking 125 or 38. I stopped. I need to calm down, Why am I panicking the man was just admiring my car. Calm down. I looked outside the window and the man was nowhere to be found also. I held my phone close and made my way back to my room. I opened the door with the card, and sat upright on the bed. I grabbed the remote and turned the T.V on doing anything to get my mind off the man. I heard a faint knock on my door, I stood up and checked my phone. There was no texts or missed calls, but it probably was Joseph he doesn't usually text. I reach my hand around the door knob unlocking it with my other hand and slightly open it. I see Josephs face, a feeling of relief swept over my body. "Let's go, I'm ready to see Chicago." I nodd and follow him down the stairs and out the door to the car. I see Callie already in the back waiting to go. I open the car door and look in the very back thinking that man is gonna be in the back trying to kill me. I get in and start the engine and it's the last thing I remember. Is she going to be okay? We're losing her! The voices pounded against my brain, I felt my life tugging away. I open my eyes, my lips were crisp I lick them bringing the life back. I tried to stand up my but my legs don't seem to budge. I look at my hands and they are pale yellow. My body aches, I'm so scared and I don't know what's going on. "Is anyone around??" I yelled. A nurse in a blue shirt and pants walked in. "Where am I? What's going on? Where's my brother?" I exclaimed. "Calm down, you need to rest. You're in the hospital, you was in a explosion." She didn't say a thing about my brother. "Where is Joseph?" I asked. She stood there, "I'll be back with the doctor shortly." I laid my head back down as she walked out the room closing the door behind her. I felt a waterfall of tears flow down my cheeks. I've never been so scared in my life. Sadness filled my heart, I felt tears fill my eyes. Why did I ever leave home, Did I kill my brother? Did I cause this mess? My mind is whirling, I just want to go home back to my messed up life. I felt blackness surround me.