Broken

.day twelve.

Hanna

Sparks.

That was what I first saw when I stepped out of the taxi, bright yellow with black and white checkers on the side. Tyler paid the driver, an elderly man with a balding head and dark eyes that looked broken. When he smiled, I could see the forced turn of the corners of his mouth. He honked once when Tyler stepped out before driving off, leaving dust and gravel flying up in its wake. The sparks on the wires were white, almost lavender, contrasting against the navy blue sky.

Esther placed her small hands on my shoulders, and I saw her expression: eager determination. She wanted to see him as much as I did, I could tell. When I brought her close to me and took her scent in, her body shook, and I could feel her back arching a bit when she inhaled sharply. I heard her mumbling something under her breath, and it took me a second to realize that she was telling herself not to cry.

"Esther, he's fine. I know he is. We're going to see him again, I promise."

The words I promise came out flat, like they were an automatic phrase I would search for when there was nothing I could find. Of course, it was something that I had been saying for the past 10 years. It was practically wired to say that. Her pale gaze met mine, but she didn't smile like she did when we got in the taxi to get here. Instead, her eyes gave way to the fatigue and fear plaguing her mind and body. The fatigue that made her helpless. The fear that made her uncertain.

"Are you sure you're not going to break this one?"

Her words made me froze, and in my peripheral, I saw Tyler crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. For a second, I couldn't seem the find my voice to reassure her. What would I tell her if I was wrong? Why would I even be certain of something I had ultimately no knowledge of?

No, I couldn't think like that. I was certain that Dad was fine. He had to be. If not, then... I didn't know what I'd do.

She squeezed my hand lightly, and I placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm certain. Let's go."

Without letting go of her hand, we walked side by side to the building that was supposed to be where our father was. It was dark gray, with an electrified fence and four guards standing in front of it. They all had guns strapped to their backs, with another one in their hands, a knife in each pocket. Their outfits were pure black, with a clear helmet for them to see out of. Everything about them screamed merciless, and a shiver went down my spine.

No way I would get past this one.

A hand was placed on my arm, and Esther was staring at an opening in the fence, just small enough for her and someone else to crawl through. Her fingers shook when she pulled away, and she looked at me, desperate. She wanted me to go with her, the only true family the both of us had, risking our lives together, either living or dying together, going to reach the only family we've ever known.

I wanted to say that I would go with her. I wanted to say that I would be right behind her. I needed to.

I put my hands on her shoulders, my gaze frozen on the guards at the front of the fence. They hadn't seemed to notice the three of us, as dead silent as it was. My next words came out softly, almost in a whisper. "Esther, listen to me, you have to let Tyler go with you."

She recoiled at that sentence, her face contorting exactly like it had when she finally woke up less than an hour earlier. Now, though, there was something more than just pain. "No," she replied, her voice raising slightly, her ghostly eyes shining. "I'm not going to let you go alone. You... you can't."

I shook my head, sighing softly. My hair fell in my face in thin waves, and I felt the back of my eyes burning like they were on fire. Everything she went through, everything she had endured... sure, it wasn't much, but it was enough to get me to talk.

"They're looking for me, Esther. I have to do this. It's either you let them take me, or you let them..."

I felt my hands fall from her shoulders, and I watched her back away, her eyes vacant, and the shadow of a smile appeared on her face. Tyler appeared next to me, and I looked up at him. His shirt from earlier was now bloodstained and torn, exposing his toned body. Even then, I could see that he didn't look too certain about any of this.

"Make sure she gets back safe, Ty," I whispered, my words sticking to my throat, getting caught in the horde of emotions like a gridlock on the highway. I expected him to not say anything, to just crawl through the hole, to the other side where Esther was, standing expectantly.

He didn't, just looked back at me, his dark eyes smiling. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I buried my head into his shoulder. Tears escaped my eyes, and I sniffled before he pulled away.
My cousin interlaced his fingers with mine, and all I wanted to was to hug him and never let go.

"Make sure you get back safe, Hanna."

Christ, I don't want to do this.

That thought ran through my head as I watched him clamber through the hole, placing his hand on my sister's shoulder and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before they walked together through the steel door, disappearing from sight.

That thought ran through my head as I turned away, breathing deeply to avoid crying, taking in the emptiness of the area, the hardened dirt, the dying grass, the pitch black sky.

That thought ran through my head as I approached the stone-statue guards, waiting for them to take me to whatever hell awaited me.

I don't want to do this, but I have to, for everything I know is good.