I ran through the forest. "China! I'm sorry China please come back!" I screamed. "I'm so sorry I never meant it!" but of course I got no reply. I screamed for her as I continued to wildly dash through the woods. "China come on I never meant it you are my best friend," I said as I looked for her. I was to focused on calling her that I didn't see the large rock in my path.
I fell down hard and hit my knee. I quickly looked at it to find it was bleeding. It started to rain and I found myself in the perfect scenario to cry. My little sister had ran away in the middle of the woods because of me and my parents were surely not going to be happy and I was hurt and lost in a forest.
I'll start where it all began. When I was four years old, my mother went away to stay at a hospital for a few days (at least that was what I remember) so I was left with my aunt. Then one day she came and there was a baby in her hands. "Chris, this is China and she's your baby sister, you'll take care of her right?" I nodded my head as I looked at the tiny bundle of joy in her arms.
I always played with my sister, I talked to her, I helped my mom feed her and teach her how to walk, even the first word she ever said was my name. I was the best big brother a baby girl could wish for. I told her as soon as she could understand what I was saying that I would be the best big brother in the whole world!
That was until one day. China had gotten into my room and swallowed my pet fish. She was rushed to hospital and although she turned out fine I was really upset.
I had wanted that fish for a very long time and when she swallowed it, no one really cared about the actual fish, they were more worried about China. Then my parents refused to get me another fish because they said that it 'endangered' China. It was reasonable, you know, you don't want your daughter choking on a fish but that didn't register through my young mind.
I thought that my parents were doing it because they never cared about me and my feelings enough. They just cared about China. I stopped playing with her and became desperate for my parents attention. Of course I couldn't get their attention, they had a baby to take care of and I was just being annoying but this just made me even more upset.
I began to hate China and everything she did, of course I never said this to her face but I always gave her dirty looks and we fought ever now and then. Nothing could change my opinion now, even if my parents got me a new fish. I just didn't like her anymore. This lead to a very horrible sibling rivalry.
Since I never liked her anymore, she didn't like me either. At breakfast she would throw her cereal at me, she would call me names and say I was a baby. She would make these annoying faces at me that would make me want to push her down. Worst of all, whenever I did the slightest thing to her she would scream and cry and tell mom and I would be in trouble.
I couldn't take it anymore. How could I live with this horrible girl who would pull my hair while I tried to sleep and scream in my face while I was trying to watch tv. I asked mom several times to take her back to the hospital but she said that she couldn't and wouldn't I didn't care. I told her I would run away if she didn't but she never believed me. I was desperate.
I would pack my bags, run out of the house to the end of the street, and eventually come back. It was pathetic really, but enough to make my mother know something was up. One day my mother called me into her room. To my surprise China was there, holding her hands behind her back and having an embarrassed look on her face.
She held up a card to my face. It was an apology card. I looked through it while my mother said to me. "Christian, China is really sorry for bothering you. She just thought you two were playing. She is promising to be nicer to you but in return you have to be nicer to her,". I was extremely happy. I felt as if I had won a battle and I quickly accepted the apology and went back to doing the usual things.
I started hanging out with friends more and just diving more into the world of Pokémon and video games. My favourite and most prized possession was a Nintendo GameBoy that my mother had got me for my 10th birthday. This game was officially my life and I played it day and night. I barely even spoke to China any more and I could see that taking a toll on her.
Soon she was back to annoying me as usual. I didn't care though, I was happy and I just ignored her. That was up until her sixth birthday. We were celebrating it at the park with a bunch of her friends. I didn't even say happy birthday to her. I was so obsessed with my game that it was not until after the party when she threw her plate of cake at my face.
I expected to her annoying laughter but instead when I wiped the cake off my face I saw China standing in front of me with tears in her eyes. "Why are you ignoring me Chris? Today's my birthday and you never even said happy birthday! You're so mean! How could you!" She cried out at me as she punched me weakly in my stomach.
I felt kinda bad but I was just to proud to say sorry. "I was just going to say it later. Happy Fifth Birthday," I said half heartedly to her before turning back to my GameBoy and turning up the volume. "I'm turning six!" she cried as she ripped my GameBoy out of my hands. "Why did you do that!" I yelled at her.
"You don't care about me! You're always so mean to me and I never did anything to you ever. You said you'd be the best big brother but you're the worst. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! And your stupid game too!" She screamed as she grabbed my GameBoy and threw it to the ground. She stomped on it over and over again before I pushed her to the ground.
I grabbed my game and looked at it. It was completely broken and covered in mud. I had never been so upset in my entire life. I turned and looked at her dead in her eyes. "You idiot you really are stupid. I don't care if you like me or not. I never liked you I'd prefer if you kept your distance. You're a horrible little brat and no one likes you. I don't understand why you couldn't go into some other boy's life and bother them. I hate you! Don't ever talk to me again. I don't care what happens to you, you can go die for all I care," I said as I turned my head away from her.
I could hear her crying hysterically. I had never been so mean to anyone in my life! I felt bad but I felt she needed to learn her lesson she I kept my head turned and tried not to look at her. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to be friends again!" she cried but I walked away from her, picked up my broken game and went inside.
I showed my mom my broken console and explained to her everything that happened... including what I did. "Christian James Reedan I can't believe you would do such a thing! Don't you feel bad for what you did?" She lectured me as my dad went outside to check on China. "I do Ma but she needed..... She was...." I tried to tell her but my voice trailed off as I became overwhelmed with guilt. How could I have done such a thing! My mom was continuing to lecture me when my dad burst in.
"China's not there!" he screamed. In a second we were all outside searching for her an calling her name. I fell down on the muddy ground as I realized this was all my fault. What if I never see her again! What if I never get to tell her I was sorry! I thought. That's when I noticed the tiny footsteps in the mud. I didn't hesitate to run after them and soon I was lost in the woods.
"China! CHINA!" I continued screaming as I lay helplessly on the ground crying. Suddenly I heard a twig snap. I looked and saw China hiding behind a tree. I got up and limped towards her but she ran off. "China please come back my foot really hurts," I screamed after her as I broke into an awkward run that hurt my knee even more.
Finally I caught up to her as she crawled into a hollowed out tree. I put my hand on her shoulder. She shook it out of my grasp and continued to look at me. "We have to get out of here China, let's go home. Come on," I said giving her my hand but she only stared at it. "You said to never talk to you again.... and that I was a brat!" She screamed as more tears poured down her face.
"China I never meant it," I said soothingly as I grabbed her hand softly and pulled her out of the hollowed out tree. I bent down to her level and said "People say really mean things that they don't mean when they are mad and believe it or not we are people. I am a person and a really bad one for saying that to you,". She smiled as I continued, "China I'm......" I said as I was about to apologize before I felt an agonizing pain in the back of my head as I fell to the ground.
"Chris!" she screamed as I looked up and saw the red cloaked and hooded figure that had knocked me to the ground. I saw the bloodied baseball bat in his hand and the horse he was riding. I was still dazed and confused as my vision went in and out and blurred occasionally. "CHRIS HELP!!!" She screamed as I was suddenly knocked back into consciousness.
I watched in horror as the cloaked figure grabbed China and began to ride off on his horse. "NOOO!" I screamed as I tried to follow him unsuccessfully. I crashed to the ground on my injured knee and was unable to get up due of the throbbing pain in my head and my blurry vision. I could only lay still when I saw the thousands (it seemed) of other cloaked figures walk past me in the direction the one who took China had gone in.
I'm a horrible big brother. This is all my fault. China's gone forever now and there's nothing I can do to help her, I thought before I realized that I could help. I stumbled and struggled to get up. When I finally got up I found myself in the middle of the swarm. "Where is she!" I screamed as another cloaked figure charged his horse at me and raised a bat to my face. After that it was black.
I woke up in a small ditch and to my surprise, there was still cloaked figures riding by. I got there in the late afternoon but now the sky was almost completely dark. My head hurt very badly now, but I could now walk better and see properly. I watched as the last cloaked figures rode their horses off and as a small carriage rode by. As soon as the carriage rode by I stealthily jumped onto the back trying to make as little noise as possible.
I don't know how long I was there for but I never had been so relieved when it finally stopped. I followed the cloak figures into a cave where I saw thousands of them standing with a white cloaked figure in the centre standing on a small makeshift stage. He was preaching about something I assumed to be either the devil or some sort of demon.
He kept on saying things like 'The blood of an innocent youth' and 'He will deliver us from this wretched world with the blood of this youth.' I climbed up on the wall far away from the crowd as to not draw attention as I got a better view. Beside the man in the white cloak was a large basket covered with a purple sheet. Something under the sheet was moving and I could hear a muffled scream. I watched in utter shock as they took off the blanket to reveal China.
They were going to sacrifice her to some demon! I realized that this was not your average kidnapping but a cult sacrifice. She was tied and gagged and screaming through her gag, making the muffled scream I was hearing. I heard the crowd cheer as they brought on a table with restrains and took off China's gag. "Somebody help me! Please somebody help me one of you please!" She screamed into the indifferent faces of the crowd.
They dragged her towards the table and began to tie her down as I jumped from my hiding spot and pushed my way into the crowd. "Stop!" I screamed as they finished putting the last restraint on her. They completely ignored me. "Prepare the girl, where's Mamoreth?" said the cloaked figure. I watched as a very big and tall man in a black cloak walked up to my sister holding a huge axe.
He raised it up and I ran and used my body to cover China as I did my best to try and undo the restraints but they were all to tight. Someone pushed me onto the ground and I felt hopeless but I wasn't going to let my sister die in front of me. China continued screaming as I yelled over her. "No take me instead. I'm a better sacrifice! I'm older, smarter, more experienced. I'll be quiet. I have more blood too!"
"He has a point," said one of the red cloaked figures but he was met with a dead stare by everyone else. Someone grabbed my arm as The Executioner raised his axe over China. "NOOO!" I screamed as the axe came crashing down. Thankfully it was just a practice swing. "Do it for real now Mamoreth," said the white cloaked figure.
I watched as the axe came down once more. I couldn't watch my sister die. Not this way and not because of me. It was my fault she got kidnapped by this crazy cult. She wasn't gonna die without hearing me apologize. I broke free and ran over to China just as the executioner brought down his blade.
I pushed the table out of the way and China was left without a scratch. I smiled. She was safe. I could only feel the satisfaction of saving my sister for a second before I felt the indescribable pain of the axe ripping through my chest. I screamed in pain as I fell to the ground.
"This will work," said the white cloaked figure, "It was supposed to be a girl this year but at least it's something. Remember last year," he chuckled. Some of the others laughed too. I lay there on the ground, the pain was immeasurable it was as if I had just got hit, it didn't cease or hurt less at all like I thought it would. I couldn't help but smile when they said, "Release the girl and let's get out of here quickly!"
Before I knew it the cloaked figures were all gone and China was over me shaking me and telling me to get up. I just looked at her. Now she had my blood on her hands but she was okay. I saved her. I was her hero! The best big brother I could be. I never regretted saving her. I only wished I could stay with her longer. "I'm so sorry China," I choked out.
"No Chris I'm sorry this is all my fault if I hadn't kept on bothering you and if I never ran away," she said but I cut her off. "No don't you say that," I said as I tried to sit up but fell miserably to the floor. "It's my fault. I ignored you for no reason. I was mean to you and didn't even say happy birthday to you. I said the most awful thing to you and I never meant it all China. The truth is I love you very much and I want you to be safe. I'm so happy you're all right."
I said as I could feel myself dying. "Chris!" I voiced screamed as my mother ran over to me. I saw my dad come and they all huddled over me and began to cry. I was going to die. There was no way I'd make it in time. I would have to say one last thing to her before I go.
"China," I choked out.
"Chris please save your breath help is on the way and you're going to be safe and feel better okay,"
"China I just wanted do to say...."
"What is it Chris," she asked.
"Happy sixth birthday China," And then it all went black.
The End