Falling Apart

Chapter 1

I sat in my families minivan, my eyes glued to the blue ocean as we drove up to the coast. It was finally spring break, and we were on our way to a small beachside apartment we had rented out for the week.

I rolled down the window and breathed in the fresh air. My shoulders instantly relaxed and my lips formed a soft smile.

"Close the window! The wind is hurting my ears!" my little brother, Lucas, shouted from beside me.

I rolled my eyes but closed the window nonetheless. It didn't matter anyway, we were already pulling up to our apartment. 

Getting out of the car I looked up at the light orange building that would be our home for the next week. It was small but clean, and right on the beach. We would only have to walk down a small set of stairs and our feet would meet the soft grey sand. 

I turned around and helped Lucas with his buckets and snorkeling gear, ruffling his dark blonde hair as he ran past me and to the apartment.

I pulled my dark black hair up into a high bun and continued helping my family unload all of our suitcases.

My dad opened up the apartment, and it only took us an hour to move everything in and unpack. 

The apartment was small and cozy, with cheesy beach decorations scattered about. The light blue walls made the living area feel fresh, and the balcony faced the ocean giving us a beautiful view. 

"Wow Matthew, you outdid yourself. This apartment is beautiful" My mom said, giving my dad a peck on the lips.

My dad smiled at my mom, tucking a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "How about we go grocery shopping really quick before we head to the beach, I'm in the mood for some ice cream" 

I nodded my head in agreement and threw on a light jacket before heading out. It was starting to get dark, and the temperature was slowly dropping.

As we made our way to the car, I felt raindrops hit my skin.

"Well so much for going to the beach tonight," My dad said, his shoulders sagging. 

"We can have a puzzle night!" Lucas exclaimed as he buckled his seatbelt.

We all agreed, and I made a mental note to remember to buy a puzzle set at the store.

As we drove down the coast, the sun began to set and the rain fell harder. My eyes strained to see the ocean as the sunset cast a beautiful purple and pink hue across the surface.

I could hear my mom and dad arguing in the front seat, trying to get the GPS to work on my dad's phone. We were new to the area and still didn't know where the shopping center was.

As we crossed the bridge that separated the town and the beach, a bright flash of light caught my attention.

But with my dad completely focused on his phone, there was no way he could have seen the large white truck speeding towards us.

It was dark out. Raining so hard it was difficult to see the road. A small road with barely enough space to fit 2 lanes. The truck almost took up the entire bridge. 

My throat closed up and my face flushed a bright red.

My dads head shot up as the truck's horn blared. Without enough time to register what was happening, he grabbed onto the wheel and made a sharp turn right to avoid the oncoming truck.

But the rain made the road slippery, and our car began to slide. I felt the impact as the truck slammed into the back of our minivan.

My eyes went wide as our car went airborne, my seatbelt digging into my neck as we flipped. The metal railings that lined the bridge were no help as our car easily flew over them.

And then we began to fall.

It seemed as though time slowed down, and I could hear my heart thumping violently against my chest.

From instinct, I grabbed Lucas, who sat perched beside me, and tried to cover him with my body as our car plummeted toward the water.

The impact from hitting the water caused my vision to go blurry and my hearing to go fuzzy, but my body was in survival mode. I felt myself acting before thinking, and I grabbed Lucas as I unbuckled both of our seatbelts. 

I grabbed onto my parent's shoulders, shaking them when I realized they weren't moving.

"Wake up! Mom, Dad, Wake up!"

Their bodies laid still, and I let go of Lucas to get a better look. My Dads head was bleeding profusely, and when I went to check his wound my fingers scraped against bone.

My hand snapped back and I held back a scream. My head turned slowly towards my mother, expecting the worst.

It seems our car had hit the water headfirst, crushing the passenger side. My mom's right side was completely crushed under metal. The blood and darkness made it impossible to see how bad the damage was.

But as I pressed my fingers to their throats, I could have sworn I felt a slight heartbeat. 

I looked down as I felt my feet splash against water. Water was pushing through the cracks on our back windows, and the car was filling up fast. 

I unbuckled my parents and splashed water onto their faces to try to wake them up.

No response.

In minutes, the water was up to my waist and Lucas was forced to stand on the backseat to keep his head above water.

His face was pale, and tears streamed down his cheeks. 

I realized then I would have to choose between my parents and Lucas.

I let out a sob as I let go of my dad's shoulders, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm so sorry"

I turned towards my mom and kissed her forehead. 

"I'm so fucking sorry"

Reaching past my mom I popped open the front compartment of our car after a few harsh pulls and grabbed our window breaking hammer.

"Take a deep breath buddy" I whispered to Lucas as I turned back towards him.

It only took a couple of hits for the window beside me to shatter and I used my body to shield Lucas from the broken glass. 

Water rushed in from the broken window, mixing with the red water that already filled our car. In seconds the car was fully submerged and we began to sink fast.

I grabbed Lucas and pulled him against my body. Using my legs as leverage I pushed against the driver's seat and Lucas and I darted out of the car.

I let my body guide me toward the surface and swam as fast as I could.

I had no idea how long Lucas could hold his breath.

I couldn't bring myself to look back at our sinking car, not being able to accept the fact that I had left our parents behind. But I felt Lucas' small head turn down, and his arms tightened around me.

We both knew our parents were gone.

Once we reached the surface we gasped for air. Lucas began to cry hysterically, his jerky movements making it difficult for me to keep our heads above water.

I swam towards the edge and grabbed onto a small wooden dock attached to one of the houses that lined the edge of the island, the moons light guiding me through the darkness and rain.

I used all of the strength I could muster and pushed Lucas onto the dock. I followed close behind and pulled myself up onto the dock's edge.

As soon as I made it onto the dock, Lucas' body-slammed onto mine and his small arms wrapped around my waist.

I cried with him as I looked out into the dark night. 

The ocean was calm as the rain continued to fall relentlessly. 

It felt like hours before I heard sirens in the distance, and the bridge was illuminated by flashing red and blue lights.