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Chapter Two: Nighttime - A New Beginning

I made the kids a bed with blankets from the suitcases. I then made myself a bed. But I didn't sleep, I didn't sleep the whole 3 days we were out there. The next morning, Kevin ate something, a leaf or mushroom, he got really sick and then died. I cried, Zach and Kylie cried. Later that night Kylie slit her thigh with a big stick that she found on the ground. She bled out. But I couldn't cry. I was sad, but I didn't cry. I don't know why, I just couldn't, I was out of tears. I couldn't feel anything anymore. It was just Zach and me. Every day we were out there, Zach always walked over to Kylie and Kevin asking them to wake up. He didn't understand that they were dead. It still hurts thinking about it, knowing that somehow I could've done something. I would do anything to bring them back, anything. I believe it's my fault they died. Every day we heard a plane or a helicopter, we would scream our lungs out, trying to get them to hear or see us. They never did. Food. That was another thing we didn't have access to. We ate all the snacks in the suitcases by night 2. Everything was gone and I had no clue how to tell if anything was poisonous or not. But then early morning on day 4, we heard a helicopter. Well, Zach heard a helicopter. He pointed to the sky and told me, "Look, look!! It's a helicopter!" Well, I looked up and sure enough, there was a helicopter. We shouted and jumped and did everything in our power to get the helicopter to come down. After what felt like hours, it came down. Trees were shaking, and so was I. Leaves were falling, but suddenly they stopped. There it was. There was a helicopter in front of us. I picked up Zach, and we ran to the helicopter. I sat down with Zach and I buckled him into the seat as the door was closing. It took me a little to realize I couldn't feel my right leg. Once I felt numb, I decided to look at my leg, but the thing is, my leg wasn't there. I screamed and then looked at the person who had pressed the button to close the door. His name tag read Dashaun. I couldn't make out his face, but I knew he was the one who caused me to lose my leg. I fainted and then I woke up in the hospital. I looked around, squinting my eyes, I needed my glasses, but more importantly, I need to find my brother. I grabbed the portable monitor and tried to pull myself out of bed. But, I didn't. I plopped to the floor. 'Hmm, why the heck did I fall? I didn't damage my brain and forget how to walk, did I?', I thought. But then it all came back to me. I remembered it in flashbacks, Kylie, Kevin, the fruit snacks we ate for three days, and Dashaun. I pulled myself back onto the bed and pressed the button that read, 'CALL FOR HELP'. I pressed the button and a nurse in black scrubs walked in. She didn't really look like a nurse though, maybe an intern.

"Oh, you're awake. I'm Susan, but you can call me Susie."

"Where's my brother, Susie?"

"Who, oh, you mean the little boy who's been asking for Trish?"

"Yes, where is he?"

"Room 167, but I'll have to have him come to you", Susie said, gesturing to my leg.

They amputated my leg just under the knee. I quickly pulled down my hospital gown, hiding it.

"Okay. That sounds good." I had been wondering where Zach was since I woke up. I saw a different nurse wheel him in. I had never seen a 4-year-old in a wheelchair before. Aside from that, he looked okay. At least better than the last time I saw him.

"Trish! Look!" He showed off his arm in a bright blue cast. I smiled at him and gestured for the nurse to bring him closer.

"I'll give you two some private time." She said as she walked outside, closing the door.

"Zach, things are going to be a lot different now that Mom, Dad, Kylie, and Kevin are gone now, so we have to stick together okay?" He nodded his head sadly. I knew he didn't truly understand the concept of death and how when people die they don't come back. The rest of that day was a blur. I met with my physical therapist, then met my doctor who would get me fitted for a prosthetic. About 2 months later, I was out of the hospital. Zach and I stayed with my aunt until I turned 18. Then I took Zach away from that place, and we moved back home. To our childhood home. Zach was 7 and was in second grade. Well, I don't normally like to talk about that time. We were poor. We barely had enough money to pay rent, but we did. And now we're here. I don't like to talk about my childhood. I like to talk about the present.

A/N: Hiya! This chapter was actually shorter than the last, but shh, I'm still getting used to making a set word limit for each chapter.