the others

Chapter 6 Dig

Two nights have passed since the night my mom died, and my mom's decaying body was still locked up in the room. No one had been back in there since that night, and now there was a pungent odor in the house. All night I have been trying to sleep, but I couldn't. All I could see was that man's cold face piercing through my skull. I slowly stood up and walked to the room where my mom's body was. I know I could not keep her there any longer, it was inhumane, and I knew no one else would have moved her, so I dragged her body downstairs. It was like pulling two full-sized men. When I got her outside, I started to dig. I did not have a shovel, so I used my bare hands. From behind me, I hear a voice.

"Do you need help?"

It was dan. I looked back at him and nodded my head yes. That was the first time I heard his voice since that night. It was like he was avoiding me. He wouldn't even make eye contact with me after that situation.

He walked over to me, squatted down, and started digging. I looked over at him and said,

"Thank you,"

But as I thought, he didn't respond. He just dug. I try to say nothing. I wanted to let it go, I wanted to leave him alone, but I couldn't, so I stopped digging and said,

"What's wrong?

What did I do that was so wrong that you want to talk to me or look at me."

Then he stood up and turned to me. When I saw his face, I knew what was coming next. He started yelling hysterically,

"Are you that shallow to think everything is about you...we are sitting here digging your mothers grave, and all you can think about is yourself."

Slowly with my head down, I stood up and stepped closer to him, I finally dared to look him in the eyes, and I wanted to say something, and I tried to, but I couldn't. I just walked past him with my eyes now fixated back on the ground, but he grabbed my arm before I was entirely out of his reach. I wanted to resist, but he pulled me back, and he singly stared at me, but it was like he wasn't looking at me but looking past me. He was staring into my soul like he was looking at a new being. His eyes made all my worries go away like I was having a nightmare, and I was finally waking up from it,at least I thought I was, but then reality slapped me in the face. Honestly, it was okay, remembering the truth that surrounded me. I feel at peace because if it wasn't for these experiences, good or bad, and for me overcoming my struggles, who would I really be today. I would be a shell of a body lost with no soul. And Dan had the same eyes as me. The eyes that needed no words to be said. They spoke for themselves. I turned around and said we should finish digging.

It took about 4 hours to finish digging and get her body in the ground, and I was exhausted. I stood up and dusted my pants off. I was drenched in sweat, and I felt like I was going to faint. Dan looked up at me and asked are you okay, I nodded my head yes and said,

"I just need to go sit down."

When I walked back into the house, Nadene was sitting in the middle of the living room crying. I walked over to her without saying anything. She still looked at me with those eyes. The eyes of fear. When I tried to step toward her, she flinched, then she said,

"Do you believe in a heaven?"

I kneeled down where I was standing and said,

"I don't know if I believe in heaven, but I believe there is something."

she grabbed my hand and said,

"Well, if there is, do you think mom is there?"

I smiled and said

"I would like to hope she's there." I don't think she believed me because I didn't even believe myself, and I say this because mom did a lot of bad stuff in her life. Nadene then said,