Tragic Coincidences

Chapter Eighteen~Embrace For Impact

*1858 words*

My head hurts. What's that smell? It smells like burning wood, but weren't going camping. Did I fall asleep? My back hurts. Where am I? I can't see anything. Are my eyes open? I don't think so. I'm afraid to open them. I think it might hurt, but I can hear screaming.

I slowly opened my eyes, and looked around me. I was laying in the middle of the street, and the air burned. It was like I was inside a storm cloud. Am I in the sky? Why would there be roads in the sky?

I pushed myself up, and my limbs struggled to hold me up.

"Mommy?" I coughed. There's fire. If there's fire I should stay close to the ground and crawl on my elbows. But it hurts, and I need to find Mommy and Daddy. I need to find whoever is screaming. "Mommy, I'm scared." I said. "Daddy? Rach? Sammy? Where is everyone?" I'm alone. I'm alone and I don't know where I am. The screaming was getting closer. "Who's there? Is that you Melany?"

"Daddy! Wake up!" The smoke cried. There was a dark silhouette in front of me. I walked forward slowly, until I could kind of see what was the outline was.

There was a man laying on his back, with a girl next to him. She sat with her legs folded beneath her and her hands on her knees. She had incredibly long dark brown hair and it seemed that her hair wouldn't stay out of her face despite how hard she tried to keep tucked behind her eat. Her eyes were like black ice, a bright blue clouded over with emotion. The girl was covered in blood. She wore overalls with a yellow long sleeve shirt underneath. She, for some reason, only had one shoe on.

"Daddy wake up!" She pleaded. "Daddy please." She shook him harshly, and her eyes met mine. She squeezed them shut and looked down at her hands. "He won't wake up." She choked quietly. I can't- I can't- he won't- I was just- I don't- I don't know- I don't know what happened. I'm scared." She raised her fists, and the man's chest. "Wake up already!" She yelled. "Wake up wake up wake up!" She hit his chest with her fists multiple times. "Please..." She whispered.

I sat down next to her, and took the slowly took the hairtie from her wrist. I sat on my knees behind her, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "Does your daddy have a phone?" I asked rubbing her back. She nodded, avoiding my eyes. "Do you know where it is?" She nodded again. "Can you get it for me?" She nodded and pulled a phone from her dad's front pocket. She handed it to me, and when I tried to open it, it fell out of my hand in two parts.

"When my Mommy is upset, Daddy will tell her to take a deep breath, and exhale as though the pain and worry were leaving with the breath," I said. "Can you try that for me?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. Her chest rose, and froze for a few seconds, before slowly falling.

"Do you feel any better? It's okay if you don't." I asked.

She nodded and wiped the tears from her face. She looked up at me, and pointed to my stomach. My shirt was torn, and there was blood staining the edges of the hole. "You're bleeding," she said curiously.

"You are too," I said brushing back her hair and wiping her forehead. I showed her my hand, and she scrunched up her nose. "Are you scared?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I think Daddy's hurt," she sniffed.

"That's okay, I'm scared too," I said. "I don't know where my Daddy is," I wiped my eyes. "Or- or my Mommy," I said quietly. "Or my- or my sister's," I couldn't keep them down. The tears forced their way out of my eyes, and sobs pushed their way out of my throat. "I'm alone." I cried. "And I'm confused." I covered my fave with my hands.