A Time To Rise

Chapter 2

The nurse sorts out our wounds and burns and sends me to bed. Catherine has to stay with the nurse in the infirmary until she gets a room. I still can't stop the image from the house running into my mind. The dead parents with bullets holes in their heads. Arg! I punch myself in the head repeatedly to get the image out. It doesn't so I give up and get out my laptop to watch a movie.

I'm running, running faster than I ever have before. Trying to put the deaths of my parents behind me. I run into the bush as far away from them as possible only to find myself in Catherine's house with her dead parents lying on the ground before me. Ah! I wake up from the nightmare sweating everywhere and scramble to the light. I got my own room because I kept everybody else up with my screaming and shouting when I have nightmares. I get changed and head into the kitchen to see if there is any breakfast avaliable. I wander into the kitchen and find a cook there. Yes! Miss Hilary. I walk to the bench and jump up.
"Good morning Jake. Your up early.
Wait what? I glance down at my watch. 4:30am
"I couldn't sleep."'
"Nightmares?"
I nod.
"Would you like bacon and eggs?"
"YES!!! The incredibly delectable and rare breakfast!"
"Yes. That breakfast."
I get one of the rickety old stools and pull it up to the bench.
"I still remember when you and your parents use to come here and drop off the kids that they saved from the government."
"I know, it was only a few months ago."
"Your breakfast is ready."
I slowly eat the scrumptious breakfast with one bite at a time. The flavour explodes in my mouth.
"Miss Hilary, why does the government kill people. I mean isn't is like slaughter or is there something else going on?"
Miss Hilary doesn't say anything.
"Hello?"
"Finish your breakfast Jake."
I finish my breakfast and look expectantly at Miss Hilary.
"Come on."
She raises and eyebrow.
"You have to know something."
"About what?"
Now I raise my eyebrow.
"You are very persistent Jake. Ever since you first came here you have been asking about your parents death."
In a small voice I ask
"How did they die?"
Miss Hilary drops her saucepan and looks at me strangly.
"What? Am I not meant to know?"
Then I raise my voice.
"Am I not allowed to know how my parents died? What they did wrong? Why did the stupid government mess up my life!"
"No Jake, it's not like that......"
"Then what is it?"
"You were there."