Dark Days

Prologue

(3 Years Ago)

Cai Links pressed her small hands to her face, flustered again. But, at this point, wasn't she always flustered? Her brain was in overdrive, it made her think too much about things she wished she could just forget. Being in this house only made things worse.
She rested her elbows against the window sill. The window itself shut tight, not to ever be opened. She placed her hands against her ears and tried to block out the whining of the silence. Whistling and humming seemed like simple fixes but she only had so much breath.
A little blue bird rounded the corner as she gazed out into the dusty night; it gave a small tweet and collapsed to the cold, hard ground. Death came so easily, so harsh, and simply forgotten, but why couldn't she forget?
She slowly backed away from the window.
"Dinner sweetie," her mom's angelic voice called, it rang sweetly through the empty hallways and dormant rooms. Cai swiftly turned and headed out the door into the kitchen. Things were busier here, it created noise but still not enough to the break the barrier that was Cai's mind. Her siblings bustled around knocking shoulders, and fought over their seats, however when their father whistled they all sat quietly.
"Cai, say grace." her father said from the head of the table. They all bowed their heads  and joined hands. She caught the hands of her youngest brother and eldest sister. She forced the words to form and push themselves from her mouth despite the lump in her throat.
"Thank you God for this wonderful food, thank you for keeping us safe from day to day, amen." she felt the mood shift and the aura of the room change. The chatter that should be coming from the moving mouths of her siblings ceased to exist. She grasped for her siblings hands again but she was simply grasping at the misty air. She shakes her head and closes her eyes tight, she opens them again to an empty room and a rotten dinner plate sitting in front of her. Sighing she stood and walked into the family room, following her familiar routine. She took a seat between her father and mother on the cream coloured couch.
"Nice day today," her father said. Her mother laughed lightly and placed her arm around her daughter. Cai squirmed under the cool breeze of air.
"Sure." she said.
"Listen to me Cai," her mother said, using her arm to pivot Cai so that they were face to face, "You are strong sweetheart. You can pull through this; you have to rein yourself in. Take over, and don't lose yourself. Your mind is strong but please remember it is your mind, you control it, it doesn't control you." she looked at her mom, brittle and weak as she was, she knew she was right.
"Mom...Why?" she said, a tear slipping from her eye. She was surprised to hear her father answer.
"Cai, its been three weeks honey, you ask the same questions every time. You need to carry on, take our souls with you of course, but please Cai wake up. Live, survive, please Cai. Wake up." The force of his words hit home. She blinked and they were gone.
"But what if I don't want too?" she sobbed quietly, alone.