Meat Family

Chapter 20

Lost

You can lost everything in just one night

It was a cold winter day at Redwood Academy. Another boring day for Ryan. Math. On a Monday morning. Whoever came up with this idea should have been fired on the spot. The black-haired student glanced to the side at the empty seat next to him. It had been two months since he lost contact with Brock. He had tried to move on, but it came so suddenly and he never got any answers. Not even his brother, Jeremy, could explain it to him because Brock never called him, and his mom didn't give him any direct answers either.

On top of that, the police never found Justin's body and had called off the search. He understood that Brock needed a break after losing his best friend, but to disappear completely? He couldn't understand it... He missed him. There was now a void in Ryan's life that only Brock could fill.

Then the bell rang, but not the one indicating the end of the period, rather the one used when the principal had something to announce.

"Would Ryan Oji and Jeremy Kani please come to my office?"

He heard the principal's voice. Instantly, everyone in his class turned to look at him. Great... He left the classroom and wondered what was going on as he made his way to the office. Had Jeremy done something again? But he wouldn't know of any tricks Jeremy might have been involved in. It didn't concern him, and he didn't want any unnecessary trouble.

Ryan knocked on the door before entering the office. Luckily, he didn't have to come here often, as the atmosphere never made him feel comfortable. The principal was sitting behind her desk. Jeremy, the red-haired boy, was already seated on one of the chairs. Ryan took the seat next to him. From the look on Jeremy's face, he had no idea what was happening either.

"I should have given this information only to Mr. Kani, but I believe, Mr. Oji, you also need to be informed about this tragic incident." What was she talking about? What tragic incident?

She looked at Jeremy, her green eyes appearing dull, as though she was deeply affected, but she tried to remain strong in front of her students. "Your family home was burned down."

Ryan heard Jeremy gasp in shock and grip the arms of his chair tightly. He had never seen such a terrified look on Jeremy's face before; he had always been a calm guy with a mischievous grin. "Are my parents okay? My siblings??"

Miss Kamber nodded slightly, which offered Jeremy a bit of reassurance. "Unfortunately, your older sister didn't survive the accident. She had a seizure before the fire, and the smoke made it worse, leading to her death." Ryan could hear Jeremy's trembling breaths. He placed his hand on Jeremy's shoulder, trying to comfort him. He wasn't good at it, but he tried. "Also, Brock didn't make it."

Now it was Ryan's turn to stare in shock at the black-haired woman in front of him. Brock... was dead?

This had to be a bad joke. Had he really lost Brock forever? What was he supposed to do without him?

"He didn't die in the fire, though. Apparently, he attacked the leader of the neighboring village, and a statue fell on both of them. They died instantly."

Jeremy got up from his chair and left the room, and Miss Kamber allowed him to go.

Ryan buried his head in his hands, trying to suppress his sobs, but tears streamed down his cheeks. He noticed the principal trying to say something else, but he wasn't listening. It was already too much suffering.

How could all of this happen in just two months!? And now he had to live without his friend for the rest of his life? He had so many questions...

But even if he got answers...

He had to continue living without Brock. With the void in his life that would never be filled again.