A Ride to Remember

A Sad Beginning

Staring at my brother's closed casket, I remember the day someone else decided to end his life. "There he is! Get him!" The screeching tires of the silver Chevrolet pick up that came to a stop. The air felt heavy as a red impala separated me from my brother as he stood a few feet away from me, his voice calling out to me, "Callie, go home!" I watched as he took off running.

"Jason!" My heart felt like a beating drum and its beat was loud enough for all to hear.

"Callie, go home!" But I couldn't move, my body stood frozen as four guys took off running after him.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Callie, go home!" His last words. I couldn't move, I wanted to run, but part of me wanted to be with my brother.

"Jason!" Those shots rang out silencing the world around me. Another, and another and another. The red impala screeched as it took off and as I blinked, my brother's silhouette lay on the ground, as neighbors opened their doors and took off running towards Jason, some frozen at their doorsteps as they processed what just happened, but none of them got there faster than me.

"Jason, get up!" I sobbed into his chest, pushing down on his heart with my hands. "Jason!" My parents came running out of the house, I knew because my mother began to scream and I could hear my father crying, a sound that was so foreign. My mother collapsed at my brother's body, I looked at his face through blinding tears, as curled gun smoke replaced his lips for a smile and his blood was spilling out on to the concrete.

"Callie, I know this is difficult for you." I sat in Detective Stanley's office, staring at the cream colored wall behind him. My arms hugged my body, still clinging onto the black dress I wore at the funeral earlier. I don't remember much about the service because the situation kept replaying over and over in my mind as tears, silently streamed down my face. "But do you remember anything from that day, like any voices, the people around you, any vehicles, anything that might help us find out who hurt your brother?"

"There was a silver Chevrolet pick up and a red impala that separated me from him— Jason." It felt so weird to say his name, my mouth was moving and words were coming out, but to say his name, there was emptiness behind it.

Detective Stanley scribbled in his notebook. "What about the voices, were there many voices, one or two? Was there a lot of people after your brother, or just one?"

"Only one voice yelled. It was deep— cold, even. That was the only voice...." my mind replayed what happened, it was as if I was there again, frozen. "....But there were four people running after him. They all had on black hoodies, and masks. I—I couldn't see their faces." My voice cracked and I lowered my head to hide my tears. It was like my chest was being sat on by elephants and I couldn't breathe.

"Thank you, Callie. You're very brave, we'll contact you if we need anymore help or if we find out anything."

Shaking, I ran out of his office and down the hall into a nearby bathroom. Nearly knocking down an officer, I proceeded to the closest stall, falling to my knees as my head hovered over the toilet and all the pain in my stomach exited my body, tears streaming down my face. I was alone.

When I felt a little better, I rose to my feet and headed over to the sink to rinse out my mouth. "You okay?" I look up to see a red headed officer in uniform, fixing her bun.

"Me? Oh yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just— a little shook up, is all." She looks down at the sink and then turns to me.

"Callie, we're all sorry for your loss."