Deadly Double Love

Deadly Double Love 36

I slumped over, suddenly overcome by a heeling of hopelessness.

“We’re never going to get out of here,” I mumbled.

“Come on, let’s eat something,” Scott said.

He opened a granola bar and broke it in half. I popped the whole thing in my mouth, not even thinking about how much weight I could gain from it. I was too hungry and too distracted to care. Scott ate his half and then twisted the lid off of a water bottle and took a long swig. After chugging about half the bottle, he handed it to me and I finished it off. I grabbed another granola bar and water bottle and made my way to my dad.

“Are you hungry, dad?” I asked.

He nodded and I pulled the wrapper off of the granola bar for him. I handed him a little piece of it and he took it, but he didn’t eat it.

“Go on,” I said. “Eat it.”

With one hand he pointed to his mouth and I remembered that he couldn’t open it.

“Crap,” I said. “Well just have a drink then.”

He pulled his lips back, exposing his teeth. I opened the water and let a little bit of the cold liquid pour onto his mouth. Some of it made it into his mouth through the cracks in his teeth, but most of it spilled off of his teeth onto his face. He shivered as the icy water trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the dirt.

“I know it’s cold,” I said. “But you have to keep drinking.”

He nodded and we repeated the process several more times. He had hardly gotten any water, but after the fifth time he was shivering so badly that I had to stop. I wiped his face with my sleeve and went back to Scott.

I pressed myself to him, feeling terribly cold.

“You’re shivering,” he said.

“I’m freezing,” I told him.

“I’m not surprised considering you’re skin and bones,” he said. “You’ve got no fat to keep you warm.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. I was too cold and tired to tell him he was wrong.

He reached over and grabbed another granola bar. He unwrapped it and handed it to me.

“Eat,” he instructed.

I did, but I still felt just as cold.

“We should get some sleep,” he said.

We both lay down, facing each other. Scott pulled me close to him, saying that we’d both be warmer if we shared body heat. I smiled and rested my hand on top of his. Then we closed our eyes and finally fell asleep.

Suddenly I was lying on a cloud. I quickly sat up and looked down, only to see a million more clouds.

“Kitty.”

I turned my head to see who was calling me and saw my mom sitting beside me.

“Mom!” I cried, throwing my arms around her.

She hugged me tightly, just like she used to… when she was alive.

“Where are we?” I asked, remembering she was dead.

“In the sky,” she told me.

“But aren’t you dead?” I said. “Shouldn’t you be in heaven?”

“I am, sweetie,” she said. “But you’re not dead yet so I had to meet you halfway between heaven and Earth.”

“Oh,” I said.

“I miss you,” she whispered.

“I miss you too mom,” I told her, starting to tear up.

“Oh, honey,” she said. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” I said, wiping my eyes.

She squeezed my hand.

“Is it nice in heaven?” I asked.

“Of course,” she assured me.

“I wish you were still with me,” I said. “On Earth.”

“I know,” she said, smiling sadly. “But you have to stay strong.”

“I will,” I promised.

“I love you,” she told me.

And then she began to fade.

“No, mom, don’t go!” I cried.

But the fading didn’t stop.

“Mom!” I shouted.

And then I woke up.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I looked around and saw Scott was no longer next to me, but instead kneeling my dad. He looked over, a worried expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s you’re dad,” he said. “He’s worse.”