Not Always Happy Endings

Long ago there was a young boy, his name was Kai, and he was around the age of 11 who grew up in a shack just off the river side.  He had an older brother Patrick who had just died a few months ago.  And the death of his old brother was tearing apart his family. His father Adam had started drinking again and staying out late at the bars. Then he would come home around mid-night angry and wasted. He would start yelling at Kai and his mom Annie, blaming them for the death of Patrick. Adam would through things, punch wall and he would even slap Annie. One night Kai couldn’t sleep, all he could hear were his parents fighting so Kai snuck down the stairs and crouched looking through the railing peering into the kitchen. 

“You have to stop this excessive drink your destroying this family! It is hurting enough with the death of our son Patrick”. Shrieked Annie.

“It’s your fault he’s dead you know! If you hadn’t of let him…” Adam stop in the middle of his sentence.

“If I hadn’t of let him what? Adam!” Growled Annie.  Adam paused looking down at the floor.  “Adam?”  Snarled Annie.  Adam looked up at Annie with disgust and anger, his hands in fists. Nostrils flared Adam flipped the table, plates, bowls and cups flew everywhere smashing around them. Annie shrieked covering her ears. Adam standing there breathing deeply with rage. Kai was so frightened that his knuckles had gone white as he clenched the bars of the railing. Annie was terrified she quickly turned around and as she was about to leave Adam grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. Annie stared into his dark brown eyes with terror, his teeth clenched with Fury. 

“Let me go Adam!” she said firmly. Adam breathing deeply with anger squeezing harder and harder on Annie’s arm.  “Adam you’re hurting me, let go, please”. 

“It’s your fault he’s dead” he exasperated gripping harder on her arm “you know it’s your fault just admit it Annie it’s all you’re…” she tried to pull her arm away but Adam just squeezed harder.

“ADAM LET ME GO!” she screeched as she kick and punch trying to get loose of his grip. Adam grabbed both of her arm and got her steady “where do you think you going?”  Adam asked with a smirk. Annie stared into his face taking short breaths she said “you disgust me” and spat on his face.

Adam slapped Annie across her plain white cheek, and then pushed her to the ground. Her forehead smashed the leg of the table, cracking her skull; she bled out on the floor.

 “MOM!” cried Kai. Adam quickly turned his head towards the staircase; Kai was on the verge of crying. “GET OUT OF HERE KAI” bellowed Adam. Kai ran upstairs and locked his bedroom door. Kai Immediately started to pack his backpack, only the essentials, shirt, pants, socks, sweater, flash light and matches. Tears running down his face he checked his pockets, three dollars and fifty cents; he grabbed his piggy bank and flung it at the floor with rage four dollars, all together seven dollars and fifty cents. It wouldn’t get him far but it would get him far enough. He grabbed his backpack and his money, wiping away his tears he opened up the window took a couple deep breathes, exhaled and jumped out the window.  

He landed on his feet falling to his knees, the grass was damp with the early morning dew, and the sun was just starting to rise over the mountains. He hurried to his feet dazed and bewildered he wobbled over to his red rusted bike. He dragged his bike to the gravel road hopped on the plain white seat and began to pedal.

The pedals screeched as Kai accelerated down the hill. Kai couldn’t stop cry the image of his father killing his mom just kept playing over and over in his mind. The tears were filling up in his eye making things unclear and distorted. As Kai went to wipe the tears from his face his front tire hit a large rock causing his bike to flip over.  Kai started descending down the gravel road. He was unable to stop himself for sliding, sharp rock pierced and cut his skin. Kai stuck his leg out trying to stop himself but It didn’t help, his knee was smashed and shattered by a giant boulder.

“Ahhhh!” roared Kai as he clenched his knee in pain. Kai gasped for air between sobs. The pain was excruciating and no matter how he tried he could get up. He cried for his mother and his brother Patrick. The hurt pain from his knee didn’t hurt as much as the pain he felt for his brother. Patrick was the only person he could relate to and trust. Kai thought of all the times him and his brother would go down to the river to get away from their parent constant fighting. They would skip rocks and talk about personal feelings and laugh about the good times. This made Kai cry even more.

Kai closed his eye and gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up, but the pain was too much to handle, he fell to the ground moaning in agony. He dragged himself towards a big oak tree and situated himself on the tree. Moaning in pain and hungry as day grew into night, there was no way any one was going to find him. As the sun went down and the tempter decreased Kai began to shiver. Kai squinted looking for his backpack hoping it was close needing his sweater, but he had lost it I the fog. The goose bumps travel up his arm and his toes and finger began to numb. Eventually he couldn’t feel anything and thing started to warm and he began to get sleepy, his breathing got slower and heavier. His eyes started to feel heavy and as he took in his last breath he died.