Chaptire Quinze: All Things End (and shit hits the fan)
2021
Death always appears with a suffocating air of despair. The skies would break out into tears as if it wasn't the heaven's fault for the dearly departed; at least in most cases that is.
Travis brought his demise. Actually, Sabrina would even argue that he died back in '96, either with the crash or when Javi was murdered, she couldn't tell. But she did know that when they finally reunited after everything, he was a carved out. Any trace of his uppity angsty self was gone, Travis was a hollow shell, and later he tried to fill himself with drugs, Natalie's venom and misplaced anger but nothing brought him back. He was practically a dead man walking.
So the sight of his bloated body hanging off the ground barely fazed Sabrina, she should expected as much.
Sabrina sat in the back of the ambulance, listening to the paramedics talk about last night's baseball game while staring down at the body bag before her. Travis found his way to peace, because what good is a life full of turmoil?
"Could've at least said goodbye, Cabezón." Sabrina muttered, lowering her hand against his torso. They weren't close as kids, they hardly got along as teenagers and would cause wars with as adults, but when Sabrina thought of family, she thought of him. That's why she tried to keep him off the drugs and cried many nights when they lost contact, because no matter what, they would always find a way back. They were family, that's how it was supposed to be.
But Travis was with the rest of their loved ones now, so Sabrina didn't have to worry about fighting for anyone and she didn't have anyone to fight for her anymore either.
As they pulled into the hospital's lot, she gently struck his chest and muttered, "Could've at least leave me a niece or nephew, jerk."
Yes, the statement was incorrect, but she meant it that way. After all, Travis was the brother she never asked for.
By the time she returned to her apartment, it was already 3 am. The place felt bigger, emptier than earlier but she ignored it, just like she was ignoring most things. Like Lisa's offer to spend the night, or the carvings she saw under his body. She was even looking past the signs that someone was there before them.
Sabrina was ignoring the swelling pain in her chest, the suffocating of her lungs and the burning in her already healed wrist. She just wanted to rest, to escape in what would be a peaceful sleep. One free of dreams or a looming darkness.
But as she entered her bedroom and looked at herself in her vanity, Sabrina saw the sleep deprivation under her smeared makeup, reminding her of her plaguing insomnia.
It was a sign.
Sabrina yanked at the drawers until she found her makeup wipes. As she wiped it away, her mind drifted. Honestly, Sabrina knew the state Travis was in, yet she wasn't prepared to lose him.
Which is odd considering her familiarity with death, having her first funeral be her grandfather's at age 6. The next being her sister and mother's then her uncle, then Javi's, then.. it's greedy. Death has sunk its gnarly gluttonous claws into everyone she loved. Sabrina had heard more eulogies in her lifetime than vows and have seen more wreaths than bouquets. She should be numb to it and yet..
