The Visit

My face etched into a mask of shock as I opened the door. I gasped as I saw my twin brother who I knew to be dead until now standing in front of me. His brown hair rustling with the wind, his muscles looked stronger than ever but his green eyes were full of redemption. A stunning silence stretched between us as I let him in and a flashback of the crestfallen memory five years ago hit me.

  I could hear the rain pattering on the roof and then the astounding phone call that snatched the ground below my feet..

"Hey! Listen Kate, I've got to tell you something..just hear me out please," He said and I snapped out of my flashback.

"K-k-Keith! What are you doing h-h-ere? W-w-what happened, I-I-I though you were dead?" I stuttered and my voice broke on the last word. Right then I knew this visit from Keith would change my life forever but I did not know how much.

   "That night when the car fell under the bridge, James was driving-"

I stiffened as I heard my late husband's name.

"-We were busy talking and the rain had blinded our vision, the moment we crashed down the bridge, James hit his head and as the car plunged into the water, he was yelling and the water went into his lungs and he drowned. I somehow managed to survive and escaped. I am sorry I left him but I was going to be suspected for his murder so i panicked.....

All these years the guilt has been killing me and now after five years I gathered the courage to return and confess to you. I am sorry." Keith said softly with his green eyes full of sorrow.  

I remembered the police saying they could not find the other body. Tears began to run down my cheeks and I felt his arms tighten around me.                                                                                                    I looked up at him and said," It's not your fault. I am glad you're back." 

 That was all I could say and I went off to the kitchen to make lunch. I urged my worn-out mind to think things through and make some sense out of my dispriting, dejected life. Ever since Keith's love of life Jessica was murdered by an unknown person, he was devastated and had come to live with me, James and Andy, my son who was one back then. Sadly, after one month James and supposedly Keith died in a car crash and it was just me and Andy. The incident shook me and traumatized me but I had to be strong, strong for my only son. Then Keith suddenly turned up and the memory I spent five years to suppress was back afresh in my mind.

 The wound in my heart had started bleeding again and I felt the moisture brimming from my eyes. I called Keith and Andy for lunch and we caught up with each others lives. Keith had left Seattle after the accident and got a job in Colorado and moved there. I on the other did not even change the house, I wanted to live here with all the happy memories I had of James. I kept working the way I used to pretending nothing had happened even though my whole world had been turned over.

Andy and Keith started to get along well and Andy was delighted to have an uncle. I saw a smile stretched on his face and I saw the bliss in his eyes, his smile was the only thing keeping me together. After a few days things started getting normal...well as normal as they could get in my jumbled up life. The wound kept hurting but I was used to the pain.

  "Aaaahhhhhhh!!!" I heard Andy screaming like he was in excruciating pain. I ran over to his room and the sight that awaited me was startling. I ran and shielded my little bleeding angel from my monster of a brother. I saw fiery rage burning up in his eyes as he saw me.

"What the hell Kei-"

My words were cut short as a blow from him landed on my face.  I tried fighting back but he was too strong. He kept beating me as I tried to protect Andy. My heart tore every time I heard my son yell in agony.

" Stop it Keith! What is wrong with you!!" I said writhing in pain. I would rather bear the pain alone a hundred times over rather than have my son go through it.

Keith's voice rang through my ears even though it had too much pain and fury in it. 

"What's wrong you ask? What's wrong?" He roared, throwing a lamp at Andy which he luckily dodged.

" I was living a happy life until Jessica was murdered by none other but JAMES!! Yes, James, your good for nothing husband! He snatched all I ever loved from me! Without her my life was meaningless and there was nothing I can do but take my revenge. I killed James and now I am going to kill you both ." He yelled and I cringed.

I slowly comprehended what he had just  said while he kept torturing us and destroying the room. My thoughts were running wild and I stopped my useless attempts to defend myself. James....my James murdered Jessica? Did I know not even know the person whom I was married to? Was the James I loved just using me...was it all an act? What about Andy?  

I heard a click and looked up, my eyes widened in terror as I saw Keith with a gun in his hand.

"You won't Keith!" I yelled and he just smirked. I grabbed Andy and tried to cover him but Keith was too fast. Just one gunshot and my angel lay there in my arms, blood oozing from his body, he was shot straight in the heart. My entire world stopped and I could hear Keith laughing far away, my entire frame trembled as the truth sank in and the sobs broke free. My little angel was no more. 

  "Keith!! WE HAVE THE SAME BLOOD! YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND AND NOW SHOT MY ONLY SON IN FRONT OF MY EYES? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?" I heard my voice screech.

The look on his face was wiped clean of all emotion and there was no sign of mercy. He slowly pointed the gun toward me. 

"Kill me if you want to. I would rather die than be a sister to someone like you. You are a shame to your own blood Keith! Kill me!" I said.

I had a flashback of us as kids playing merrily like there was no such thing as sadness in the world. I felt like I was submerged in acid, I felt fragile like all I needed was one word to shatter me. Jagged ends of glass cut through my heart, deepening and widening the wound left five years ago. My green eyes stared at his and a flicker of emotion ran across his face. His grip tightened on the trigger and I shut my eyes, waiting for it all to end, to die.

One shot.

I realized I was okay,I opened my eyes and saw my brother lying dead in front of me. He had shot himself instead of me. The thread I was holding onto was too weak and I let go, falling into the endless pits of darkness.

The End.