Something warm began to seep onto my bare legs buried in the dirt beside my brother. Numbly I knew it was his blood without even looking. Danny and I had simply sat together until Landon gently removed Jessica’s limp body. Without saying a word he removed a log from our fire and laid it on her. The fire immediately sparked on her clothing, followed by the revolting smell of burning flesh. Before Landon could move Zach, I stopped him. Pleading with my eyes, Landon backed down understanding my need to put my brother to rest.
For as long as I could remember my brother had always been there for me. Although we were the cliche movie siblings, he truly cared for me under his “better-than-you” attitude. He cared for me when my parents split. He listened to me cry long into the nights after my break ups. He went to the store to purchase tampons for me when my mom wasn’t home. Zach was my rock, he was my everything.
Slowly pushing myself to my feet, I regretted every step I took towards the fire. I knew as soon as I picked up the log there was no turning back. And so I reached down.
No tears formed as I dropped the fire. Zach’s eyes remained closed, as though he was merely asleep. Still no tears fell even as I watched my brother become engulfed in flames. Orange grew around us, reaching to the sky as if Zach was releasing himself to the great beyond. Eyes dry, I turned to pick Danny off the ground, with a terse, “Let’s go.” I refused to allow myself to dwell on the horror that had just unfolded. Both boys watched me, shocked at my change in attitude. Landon used it to prod us to leave. We each grabbed our packs, Danny still watching me cautiously.
I moved myself into sync behind Landon and kept my eyes on his back for the remainder of the evening.
