This is not the End

Chapter 6: Caleb

This Chapter is dedicated to: @SmileyButterfli

Check out her story, "Lost in Forever-After" and her collection of poems,"Inspired Poems"! Now back to the story:

Zach's Point of View

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Frankie's eyes clouded up so quickly. I feel bad for her, losing all her friends and locked inside herself. She is so serious. Does she realize that laughter actually helps? It brings life to the lifeless and hope to the hopeless. Laughter gives us life when there is death all around us.

I run to the dandelion patch that holds many memories. As I sit down right in the middle, the flowers cuddle around me like mini soft pillows. I lay down and close my eyes; remembering him for the 7th time today.

-(flashback)-

"Hey, Zach! Zaaaaaach! Zzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaaacccccchhhhhh!" Caleb says to the right of me.

"Ahhhh!" I shout as I pop out of the forest of weeds. Caleb falls on the ground and rolls in the fetal position, laughing with me.

We both lay down next to each other and stare at the clouds passing over head.

Suddenly, Caleb sticks the dandelion in my face. "Eat it! I dare you!" I grab it and pretend to put in in my mouth. We laugh. When we stop laughing, I open my mouth as wide as I can and push the dandelion in it. He gasps as I pretend to gag. It makes it's way down as I grab another one.

"You too. I dare you!" I shout to him as I try to push it in his mouth. We tackle each other and Caleb manages to knock the week out of my hand.

"I'm not hungry." He flops down in the weeds and I join him. We stay silent for a bit so I decide to bring up the topic hanging over both of our heads.

"I can't believe that in a few months, we will be in 6th grade!" I say.

"I know! Off to middle school."

We stay silent for a few minutes, just staring at the clouds overhead.

"Promise we will still stay friends." Caleb rolls over and looks at me with a straight face. "Promise me that, Zach."

"I do. I promise we will stay friends. Forever. We are twins after all, I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted to."

He rolls over onto his back again and laughs. I join him. We laugh for just 4 seconds before it happens.

Caleb, my one and only sibling, the one I love with all my heart, the other half of me, stops laughing.

"Zach. I can't move."

I stop mid-laugh and look at him. I wait for the "Just kidding!" And the unmistakable laugh, but it never comes.

I have seen this before, with my mother, my father, and now with him. My brother will die.

My emotions fly all over the place like fireworks, exploding again and again. My brother will die and I can't do anything about it. My instincts take over as my brain and heart or focused on the future. I pick my brother up in my arms and run as fast as I can to the hospital.

--

The whole thing is a blur. Some how Caleb makes it to a bed that is open. I stay with him day and night.

"How are you?" I am worried, but I try not to show it.

"Good", he says.

Our conversations are short now because we have nothing to talk about while death is lingering in the room.

"Look. Someone brought me flowers. There are some dandelions in it." He pauses. "I dare you to eat one."

I move over to the flowers and pick up one of the only weeds that has a memory to it. At this point I will do anything to make my brother happy and if that is eating dandelions, so be it.

--

I open my eyes from my flashback to see the sun completely blocked out. A shadow of a person is standing over me. He or she grabs me by the arms and yanks me off the ground onto my feet. I attempt to get away because he or she is holding me tight and it is freaking me out.

I turn around to face the person who has locked onto my arm. As bewilderment and surprise starts to hit my face, I feel a sharp jab into my left arm. My eyesight quickly blurs. I can't process anything happening as the needle shoots more of the mysterious substance into my arm. I fade away and the world goes black.