Shattered

The summer of 1999...

Mason pushed himself through the thick brush and mossy trees to look around. "Where are you?" he called out. He spun around, but his little brother was nowhere to be seen. "I'll find you," he yelled. He continued to make his way through the brush of the woods, eventually coming up to a small ledge that dropped down into a steep ditch. 

Suddenly, he heard the crack of a limb and spun around to see Liam trying to sneak away. "I got you now," Mason growled, charging at him. Liam squealed and took off running, but Mason jutted his arm out forward and snagged his little brother by the shirt. Liam was no match for his fifteen-year-old brother.  Mason pulled Liam to the ground and laughed deviously. "Got you," he jeered. "No fair!" Liam complained, pushing his brother off of him. "You're five years older than me. I need a bigger head start," Liam added as Mason pulled him to his feet and laughed slowly. 

"Go ahead, one more try. But then we head home, clear? It's getting ready to rain, and I have to get back to my recordings. It's my birthday tomorrow, remember?" Mason told Liam. He turned and placed his face on a nearby tree and covered it with his arm. "One... two..." Liam spun around to search for a place to hide.  Everywhere he knew about had been used already. He turned to the ledge and wondered if he could hide in plain sight. He tried to quietly approach the edge and looked down, and it felt like he was staring down the edge of a cliff. "...eight... nine..." Liam had no choice but to go. He was determined to finally beat his older brother in hide and seek, once and for all. 

He dropped to his knees and slid down the ledge as quickly and quietly as he could, slowly making his way down. "...fifteen!" Liam had taken longer than he thought he would. In a desperate move for survival, he leapt forward just as Mason turned around in time to see him. "You stink at this game," Mason said, folding his arms as Liam sighed. "I give up. Let's just go home," Liam said in defeat, turning toward his older brother. He stood up to take a step up the hill, and his foot slipped, sending him flying backwards onto the ground. 

"Ow, ow!" Liam cried, holding his ankle. "Are you okay?" Mason asked, sliding down the ledge. Liam tried to stand and act tough for his brother, but it was no use. His ankle hurt too much. "You idiot. It looks like it's twisted. Come on." Mason bent down and stuck his arms under his brother, grunting and lifting him up to his chest.  Mason slowly made his way up the ledge with Liam in his arms, and suddenly the sky began to drizzle. Then suddenly the sky was pouring. "I got to grab my bag. Think you can walk?" Mason asked. Liam reluctantly nodded, and Mason slowly let him stand on his feet. 

Mason quickly turned and grabbed his bookbag for school that had been leaning against a tree, then turned back to Liam and continued to go through the woods. The rain sped up, and so did Mason, who began to jog with his bag over his head. "Hey, wait up!" Liam yelled, trying to hurry.  Liam continued to limp towards his brother, and as he struggled to follow Mason began to get harder and harder to see among the trees. "Wait for me!" Liam shouted, but the rain was louder. Thunder boomed, and lightning lit up the sky. 

By now Mason was out of sight, and Liam's ankle began to hurt more. "Mason!" Liam yelled, hopping and dragging his foot across the ground. "Come on, slowpoke. You can do it," Mason called out from out of sight. "It's time you get tough anyway. It's only twisted, nothing serious." Mason was always telling Liam it was time to toughen up. Liam hated it because their mother would always baby them until their father died, and it was up to Mason to teach Liam everything that their mother couldn't help with. A lot of pressure had been put on Liam's older brother, and Liam understood. He became very annoying to his older brother after dad died, and he knew it.

Liam flinched as the sky lit up brightly, and lightning struck somewhere close by. "Hurry wimp," Mason teased as Liam made his way to the edge of the woods. He pushed through the tree line and finally made it to the road that separated the woods from their house, and he spotted his older brother across the street waiting. "Come on!" Mason urged. "I can't! It's too wet," Liam complained. Mason sighed and turned to the house they had been staying in. He approached the front door and grabbed the blue umbrella that they kept stashed on the porch, then he turned back to the road. Liam was on his knees in the dirt, holding his ankle.

After he noticed Mason watching, Liam quickly made it back to his feet, trying not to disappoint his older brother. Mason drew closer to the street, looking down to untie his umbrella and temporarily disregarding his brother. "Hurry!" Mason yelled, glancing back up at his brother. By now Liam had nearly cleared the woods and was approaching the edge of the slick wet road. Mason looked back down at the umbrella, finally getting it untied and swinging it open with a satisfying whoosh sound. He held it high and looked at Liam, who was beginning to cross the street. "Make it across and you can have the umbrella," Mason laughed.

His little brother pleaded, but Mason folded his arms and waited impatiently. Finally, the cries for help got to him and he sighed. "Alright, fine. Calm down." He gripped the umbrella tightly and took a step forward, just in time to see a bright light flash across the street, followed by a car, and then darkness...