Stars

Chapter 6: Death

His memory played tricks on him as Eddie looked around at the ruins of a town. It was never repopulated after the fire burned everything to the ground. People tried to rebuild homes but there was never enough money to make everything functional. Spectrum walked through the town stopping every now and then as Eddie looked at something. A pit grew in his stomach and he shivered feeling uncomfortable. 'I don't like this place...' "Why are we here?" Spectrum looked up at him sadly and walked on. They stopped at a house, more badly burned than the rest. "This must be where the fire started..." He got off Spectrum and looked around, and saw a broken mailbox under some rubble. He picked it up and looked at the word printed on it. 'Choles? Why does that ring a bell?'

They walked along the road and came across the town graveyard. Spectrum snorted and stopped at the gates. "What's the matter, boy?" He looked away, not wanting to go in. "Okay..." Eddie opened the gate and slowly walked into the graveyard. He walked through the gravestones reading the names. He stopped at three marked graves and looked at the names. Julia Choles. Michael Choles. Lily Choles. "Lily..." The word barely left his lips before Eddie fell to his knees in front of the grave. Tears ran down his face, he touched his cheek confused. Then the memories began to flood back.

"Oh come on, little bro! You can do it. Watch again." She climbed up the tree expertly, branch to branch. "Your turn." He began to climb the tree after her, unsure footing matching shaking hands. He grabbed on to the small branch trying to get to the larger branch where his sister was, when his hand slipped. He started to fall, she grabbed him. "I got you!" The thin branch began to snap. "H-help me..." crack. "It's not that far down! Just drop down before-" The branch gave way and the young boy fell, his arms outstretched. Darkness. That familiar darkness. And sirens...sirens..?

Eddie opened his eyes to the loud sound of sirens passing by the graveyard. 'That's right... i woke up in a hospital that day...' He flexed his left arm. 'I broke it climbing a tree...' He stared at his sister's grave and a chill ran through his body. He knew this was just the beginning, his past coming to haunt him. Spectrum slowly walked into the grave yard and stood behind Eddie. Eddie looked at his mother's grave and wiped the tears away. "Why...?" He turned his gaze from the graves to the unicorn. "Why?! You didn't have to bring me here! You didn't have to..." He began to cry again, feeling a stream of emotions that he hadn't felt in years. Spectrum rested its snout on Eddies head. He pushed it away. "No!" He got up backing away from the unicorn. "I...i hate you...go away! Go burn! Burn and die like everything else!" Spectrum stood there and pawed at the ground tossing its mane. It turned slightly as if to leave then trotted closer. "...I'm sorry...I-...I'm so sorry..." Eddie walked over to Spectrum and hugged it tightly wrapping his arms around its neck. "I didn't mean it..." It snorted softly as if to say "I know...".