Ch. 6

So many years ago




Beeping…so much beeping. WHY ALL THE DAMN BEEPING?! I twisted, and I felt a hand push down hard on my stomach. What the hell is going on here? Who’s hand is on my stomach? And what the FUCK is BEEPING?!

I felt something go over my mouth and nose, and then a rush of air came flowing into my throat. It felt so good, considering I felt like I was on fire. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that I realized that I couldn’t breathe. I started to gasp, AIR PEOPLE! AIR!

My hand gripped at something ruff, but soft, I’m taking it to be grass, or something. The cool sensation of the air being pumped into my lungs again settled me down. That’s when the thought hit me….I COULDN’T BREATHE! I was dying! OH GOD! I’m not breathing. A hand pushed down on my stomach again, once, twice, three times. Air pushed it’s way into my lungs, and yet I couldn’t move. MOVE KYLIE! MOVE DAMNIT!

Somebody grabbed my hand, and I squeezed it. The person reacted as if it never happened. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. So I came to a conclusion…that when I thought I twisted…I didn’t, and when I thought I grabbed the grass, or whatever, I didn’t, and now, I didn’t actually squeeze anybody’s hand. I’m just a lifeless piece of shit like my Dad and sister.

The beeping I was hearing, magically turned into buzzing. I felt like I wanted swat over my head to catch the fucking fly that was driving me INSANE. The person pumped again, once, twice, and a third. Oxygen ripped through my lungs and I let out a cough. A hand pressed against my back, as they held me forward. Slowly but surly, I opened my eyelids.

Orange, red, and yellow flames were all I saw. I realized I was looking at my burning house. Mom was going to kill me… At the thought of me dying, I looked over to the side, and saw David wiping sweat off his forehead, and Page tackled me from my other side, hugging me tight. She started to cry, because she thought I was dead, and then I started to cry because I thought I was going to die too, and once I started to cry…I couldn’t bring myself to stop…

Sirens started to reach my ears, and I looked back at what used to be my house. How did this fire happen? I know it wasn’t my candles that caught the curtains on fire, because then I could have been toast, burnt toast, because the curtains hang right above my head. Who would try to set my house on fire? What is making me think that somebody even DID set my house on fire?

The fire from the house suddenly caught onto the tree that once stood outside my window. David grabbed my shoulders, and yanked me backwards as a burning branch smashed down in front of me. I just stood in awe as I watched all my memories go down the drain. Everything that I ever knew burned within those flames. The fire soon spread to the grass and onto the next house.


The fire tucks and police cars jammed our street. Civilians from all over came to watch the firefighters put out the deadly flames that had spread from my house to 4 others. This is the problem with some shit-splat towns…all the houses are so completely packed together, that fires spread so easily. This fire that somehow started in my house could have spread throughout the whole entire town if it was allowed too. That’s how bad it is. Now that I think about it…I wish it would have spread….

I’m laying in the back of the speeding ambulance, and the loud siren is going off. David’s to my right, Page is to my left, and the paramedic is standing overtop of me. I don’t understand what’s going on here, I was fine just seconds ago. But for the second time today, I collapsed. The paramedic was working on keeping me breathing, he had one of those hand pumps over my mouth.

It took most of my energy just to keep my eyes open, and now I couldn’t even seem to do that. The blackness I saw from the inside of my eyelids troubled me, it’s never been this black. I mean, usually when you close your eyes, light dots appear…if you know what I’m talking about. But not even they appeared in my mind, it was just…blank.

I don’t want to be stuck in a tube like my dad, or plunged in a temporary coma like Candice. What’s wrong with me? Why am I doing this? I’m not sick! Really! I’m a healthy kid! I mean… I do eat a lot of junk food, but…come on! Aren’t you done picking on me and my family?! Can’t you just leave us alone? Or are you just going to kill us all?!

The sound of the siren suddenly stopped and I swear my heart skipped a beat. Was I dead? Was it over? Oh God…poor Mom! No Kylie stop it, you’re not dead. A voice seemed to echo off the inside of my hollow brain. That wasn’t my thought…who’s in my head? GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

A picture flashed in front of my eyes, and I saw my Daddy standing in front of his shiny new truck, with Candice and me sitting at his feet. My memory played back like it was yesterday. Mom stood in front of the tree and Dad, Candice, and we all smiled for the camera. The flash went off, and like on a timer or something, a branch fell from the tree and smashed into my Mother’s head.

Dad had pushed us to the side and ran over to her. She wasn’t moving, and it didn’t look like she was breathing. But then we saw her get up, she was laughing and crying at the same time. Dad had to take her in so she could get stitches and soon after we were one big happy family again. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. That voice spoke to me again. I’M NOT LISTENING! I’M NOT LISTENING!

Another memory popped up, I saw Candice. She was standing on the bridge railing, hands extended, like she was going to jump. Cop cars surrounded her, with people all around. Her eyes were closed and the wind blew her hair all over. “Candice!” I broke through the crowd of people and cops. Her head whipped around and our eyes locked.

“Kylie?! What are you doing here?” she turned around on the railing, so her back was facing the water she was looking out too. “You’re suppose to be at you’re private school!”

I took a small step forward. “You think I’m going to sit in my little dorm room, at my little private school, and watch my only sister jump off a bridge?” I took another tiny step forward. “Candice, step down from the railing.” I held my hand out to her.

As if the world switched sides on us, the wind gave a powerful blow against my back, pushing me forward and whipping Candice backwards off the railing. She let out a piercing scream, and at the last second grabbed my arm, dragging me almost all the way off the bridge too.

My foot caught hold of a crack at the base of the railing, and I jammed the toe of my shoe in it to keep my hold. “I NEED HELP HERE!” I screamed out, and suddenly, I felt hands go around my waist, pulling my upper half over the railing once again. My hands gripped tightly to my sisters arm as her frightened eyes burned into mine. “It’ll be ok.” I whispered to her as she slipped over the railing as well. Candice clung to me for dear life, and wouldn’t even let the paramedics take a look at her. She buried her face in my jacket and cried.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She apologized. “I never was going to jump Kylie, I’m telling the truth, I never intended on taking a step over the edge, oh God Kylie, I was so scared.” I stroked Candice’s same color of strawberry red hair as I have.

“It’ll all be ok, it’ll all be ok.” I whispered to her, laying my head on top of hers, letting a single tear drop down into our mass of red hair. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” I said barely loud enough to be heard over the wind.

“What did you say miss?” A paramedic that was passing by turned at the sound of my soft murmur of words. I lifted my head off of Candice’s and looked down at her.

“I said…I think it’s time for us to go home.” I lied. I knew Candice heard my words, for we are twins…we know everything about each other….right?

Jack the Ripper