Roaming Of The Afterlife

Facing The Flashbacks

It's been two days since we've been on the road...the gas has constantly been reloaded, Scott has been getting on our nerves, so has Dakota....but it's better than him being dead.

Dakota is now the one driving.....Scott had been guiding him.

We have to get there in time....I graze my fingers over my cuts, it's dark outside, I could only hear the engine of the truck.

Aurei has athsma.....if she couldn't handle the drugs they force on her then she definitely couldn't handle scopolaime....it'll kill her in minutes....

I remember the pictures of her when she was a baby...people would say that she's a beautiful little girl....I need to know....I don't know what I would do if she's dead....it'll be pointless to keep running.

My thoughts go back on the day Dad was tumbling inside the house.

I was ten when this happened, Aurei was asleep and I was just wandering around the house, then Dad tumbles in, Mom rushes to his side to see him taking deep breaths.

"I could've saved him Ramona....but I was too late...." I just stood at the doorway as Mom helped him up onto his feet, he facepalms.

"Marcus....the boy could've shot you...." Mom said, comforting Dad with her hand, she forces him to sit in the couch.

"But he was scared....Fernando shot him clean through the head when the boy tried to pass me his gun....his father was beating on his mother....but he didn't shoot, his father caught him holding the gun then called the police....alarmed he pointed the gun at me." Dad said.

"What did Sharon say?" Mom asks.

"There was nothing she could do....it wasn't her place." Dad said.

"I'm sorry...." Mom said, she turned around to see me standing there.

"Avery." Mom snapped, Dad looked at me.

I ran away into my room. Then laid in the bed.

I open my eyes to see Dakota still driving, he's still somewhat broken....I couldn't believe that he was suicidal at one point. He hated it when I pitied him but I couldn't help it and he knew I couldn't.

"I know you're staring at me." Dakota said, I sit up.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Stop asking me that, we both know the answer to that." Dakota snaps, I sigh.

"Why are you so bipolar?" I ask.

"If I'm bipolar, you shouldn't be around me." Dakota said, I have to accept the fact that he's broken....I want to help him.

"Dakota, I know you're dangerous. I may not know everything about you but I'm not giving up." I said, everytime I try to help him he pushes me away.

"Do you know what it's like to be me?" Dakota asks, keeping his eyes on the road, Scott still stares ahead, with a solid glare on his face.

I stay quiet, turning around to just stare at the dusty road.

"It's like being dead-alive. Hollow." Dakota said, I shrug.

"That's not true." I snap, he glares but his eyes never left the road.

"It is, if you want to stay after we find out what happened to your sister then that's fine, I gave you a warning.....think about your sister." Dakota said.

"My sister knows how to handle people like you, knowing her she'd probably enjoy your sense of humor." I said, Dakota raises his eyebrows.

"You think so?" Dakota asks.

"I know my sister, besides I don't think you'd stoop low enough to tell her all this would you?" I ask him.

"I wouldn't tell a kid why I'm this way, I've had a sister to." Dakota said, I had to change the subject, before I panick about Aurei.

"Hey, what was the most stupid thing you've done?" I ask.

"Besides letting you live?" Dakota shot back.

'Be serious Dakota." I said, he shrugs.

"I am." Dakota said with a twisted smile.

"Fine." I said, facepalming.

"Well, I was at a alley once, then I took a piss somewhere..." Dakota said, I knit my eyebrows at him.

"Wasn't there a bathroom???" I ask.

"The bar had no bathrooms." Dakota said with a careless shrug.

"Okay...." I said with a frown.

"Turns out I was pissing on some homeless guy who laid beside the dumpster, he had old rags over him so I didn't see him, I apologized soon as I found out....but I really had to go so I had nowhere else to go." He said facepalming.

"Gross." I said.

"It was, I never took a leak in an alley after that, so most of the time I stayed home." Dakota said. I laugh a little.

"Many girls would say that I'm not the type to take to their parents." Dakota adds.

I purse my lips, shrugging.

"But that one girlfriend's parents loved me, I didn't act the way I am, I respected everyone..." Dakota adds, I grin.

"My Dad saw good in almost everyone....no matter how bad everyone thinks of you, he would always have room in his heart for you." I said with a grin.

My thoughts go back on the day I got into my first fight.

I sat in my room, Mom just scolded me and grounded me for about a month....I didn't care about that, some girl tried to jump me in the middle of soccer, I remember pinning her down and beating her like a savage, but I was at fault too, I can be prideful.

Dad walks in, he smelled like smoke and gasoline. I would've gave a lot to recognize his smell again...

"I heard you got into a fight." Dad said, I hung my head low, my stomach ached from when that girl put her knee to it. Dad sat beside me.

"What did she do?" Dad asked.

"She tried to beat me up during soccer, so I went crazy...." I admitted. Dad nodded his head then hugged me.

"Look Avery. People are going to say and do things behind your back.....they want a reaction." Dad said.

"Or they want to give me a black eye." I said scarcely.

"They wanted to rile you up. That little girl was told that you're tough as nails...therefore she must've wanted to see that herself." Dad explained.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Your principal told me." He added.

"Avery, I'm not mad at you. Just remember that people only want to see you snap...." Dad said as he ruffled my hair.

"I won't let you down." I assured him.

"Avery you never disappoint me." Dad said as he closed the door.

I could hear Scott yelling and Dakota slowing down.

"We're here." Scott said, roamers flocked around the fence that surrounded the abandoned factory. My eyes widen.

It's now or never.