A Silence Full of Sound

Chapter 16

He pulled me down the front steps to the parking lot. We weaved between parked cars and trucks until we reached a light blue car parked at the edge of the lot.

He turned to look at me, laughter lighting up his eyes making the red bags seem almost unnoticeable. It was contagious. I found myself smiling and laughing with him. Only then did I acknowledge his right hand in my left.

It left sparks through my hand as he let go and suddenly my hand became a lot colder.

I tried not to think about my hand as he reached into his bag and pulled out the keys. The headlights on the car flashed as he clicked a button on his key.

We were going in the car. He was going to drive.

Instantly I was taken back to that day. The memories were fuzzy and parts were missing, but I remember the feeling.

I was sat in the back left, behind the driver's seat. Sammy to my right. Mum was in front of Sammy and Dad was driving.

I had a book in my hand Sammy had always hated long car journeys and got really restless. The only thing that would keep him calm was me reading aloud. A Michael Morpurgo book that I had never seen after that day.

We had stopped at the light at a crossroad, right at the front. The queue of cars lined neatly behind us. As the traffic passed, the sound of tyres padded on the floor and I started to read the next chapter.

Mum's eyes looked back at me from the front seat. Dad's in the rear-view mirror as they listened to me tell the tale. Sammy's eyes staring straight at me, mouth open, fully invested in the tale of the lost cat.

The lights turned green. "Dad, go!" Sammy said pointing to the green light in front of us. Dad hit the gas and we started to move.

I heard the squeal of the tyres on the road as the truck tried to swerve. I saw the flash of blue as something heavy pushed into the side of my head. Right where my ear is.

I heard my mother's scream.

Then nothing. I heard nothing.

Then I was waking up in a hospital bed. The bright white light was hurting my eyes. But the pain in my head was unbearable. Mum was sat to my right, asleep. Her clothes were cover in black dust, she had black smears all down her face. Cuts and scars were dotted over her arms and her left leg was in a cast. Dad and Sammy weren't in the room, and for a moment I was scared I would never see them again.

I tried to talk, but I couldn't hear my voice. The noise of the babbling had woken my mother up.

I was hyperventilating. I could no longer breathe. Tears streamed down my face, which made the pain in my head burn even more. I turned to my mother, expecting her to take me in her arms and hold me until everything was okay again.

But I didn't see my mother. Instead, I saw green eyes. And jet black, shaggy hair.

I was hyperventilating. And not just in my memories.

My mind brought me back to the parking lot. I was huddled on the concrete floor, my knees brought up to my face. My bag and Hunter's jacket were thrown on the ground next to me.

Hunter was in front of me, worry evident on his face. He looked scared. His right hand was placed on my knee and his left had found it's way to my face.

I stared at him, still unable to catch my breath.

"Breathe, Riley. It's okay." His thumb rubbed the tears from my face. I gripped his arm to keep me grounded as I took in deep breaths. I looked down to the floor, determined to count all the grains I could see in the concrete. Anything that would let me focus on something else, other than my breathing.