Brother

One In The Same

The days go on, and I've lost count of how much time I've spent in the small tent.

They have stopped our food for a bit, and now I feel like I might pass out. I'm light headed and dizzy, and falling asleep over and over again. Sometimes I can't tell what's a dream and what's real. It's all a haze.

"Get up," A commanding voice makes me open my eyes. At first, everything is blurry and swaying with my brain. My eyes focus after awhile and the man who killed my father comes into my view.

He looks paler, and afraid. This is the first time I've seen him since that night. I notice how his bruise is gone. I don't question his orders and stand up. My mother is asleep so I pull her with me.

"Mother, please... Stand." I plead. She wakes up, and glances around. Too weak to protest, she stands.

"Regrime has already won. The Civils gave up." He doesn't look happy. He suddenly mumbles that we are to follow him.

"Gave up?" I question. It's unbelieving that the Civils gave up. They've been fighting this war for a while now.

"Yes," He nods.

"Why? How? I-I don't understand.." I shake my head and glance at my dizzy mother. She sways on her feet, holding her head.

"We were assigned to take everyone we could. And we took all their people, so who do they have to fight for now? Plus, the Regrime has been shooting bombs left and right." He shrugs his shoulders.

My mother leans against me, and I put my arm over her.

He eyes her, then me. "Are you two okay?" He asks, genuinely concerned.

I glare at him. My mother whimpers at my side.

"Okay? Do you call murdering my father okay?" I bite out, and he looks taken back.

"Is it okay to you that we haven't ate in days? Or how about the fact that you kiddnaped us-" I stop when my voice cracks.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't know that that was your father. I came in, and I saw you in the floor, being beaten by a man and your mother passed out. I truly-" I cut him off with my hand. Connecting to his face. The slap stings my fingers, but I don't stop. I punch him on the chest as hard as I can. It's not doing anything because of how weak I am.

I'm not crying, but I'm shaking with anger. Anger that I can't do anything. Anger that I haven't tried anything. I'm pissed at myself, and everyone else. I start to scream as I pound into his chest. He doesn't move for a while. Then he grabs my arms. I collapse. The only thing keeping me up is his hands. Which have a strong hold on me, digging into my flesh.

"Get yourself together," He shakes me a bit, then let's go. This time I actually fall to the ground, going limp. My head slams on the cold ground and my eyes tear up.

Helpless.

Worthless.

My vision goes blurry once again, and I blink to get it out. The cold tears roll down my face.

My mother cries silently, weeping. I turn my head to look at her. A dirty, tangled mess.

"Get up," The guy barks at me. I flinch at his voice. My head begins to hurt.

"I'll feed you and your mother if you get up," He offers me, but I feel dead. Lifeless.

"What's the point?" I gumbel, holding my pounding head.

"You'll kill us anyways," Tears still roll down my face, but I feel detached. This isn't my voice.

"I won't. I promise. Now get up!" He grabs ahold of my arm, and yanks me. I stumble on my feet. I'm so easy to push around.

With a iron grip on me, he grabs my mother too.

"We have to go. Back to home. We won, you two will live. I promise." He repeats himself. He drags us out of the tent and into bright sunlight. It blinds me, and I cover my eyes.

"Get in the truck," He orders and lets go. I pull my mother to the truck, obeying him. We walk solomey to the vehicle. 

-----

We travel on dusty roads and paths, but it all appears the same to me. The sky is now darker than before. A storm is resting on the horizon. It's pretty, and it is also a plus that I can actually look at the sky without a sun blinding me.
The thought of my father has been resting on my chest like a hot blanket that I can't take off.

I'm still in denial. For some reason I think if I escape, my father will be back at my house. At home, where everything I've ever known is.
Everything that has happened doesn't seem real at all.
The Civils haven't gave up.
We're okay.
My father isn't dead.
I haven't cried again for him but I think mother has. I'm not sure what she cries about now. She never talks to me. 

As I lay in the back of the truck and ponder, the vehicle stops. Me and my mother slide forward, the others hold on.

"We're here!" Someone announces. The two people in the back high five and grin.  The weight of the truck shifts as people get out. They jump out, and I hear the sound of their feet hitting the ground. I imagine the dust flying away from them.

"Back to stage one," A voice grumbles, Logans I think. A guy with dark skin grabs my wrist and starts to saw off my rope. Once the rope falls I stare at my hands. It's red from where it rubbed me. No blood, at least thats good.

"Thank you," I say to him once he had moved on to my mother.

"No problem." He nods his head, letting my mother's hands free.

The rope falls down to the bed. She stretches her arms.

He jumps out the truck and stops in his tracks when he realises we aren't following him.

"Aren't you coming?" He questions. Don't we have to?

"Yeah... Uh, what's your name?" I ask and his eyebrows raise, confusion resting in his face.

"Theodore." He replies shortly, sticking his knife into his pocket.

"I'm Tundra."

Thanks everyone for reading this.
We're finally getting somewhere.
I know it's probably really bad. I try and I enjoy writing this. So thank you to the few who can stand to read it :) <3
A big thanks to insearchoftruelove and Jor_Dan_the_Wise_One
With love,
Hayley~