Death on Holiday

Chapter 20

It took a few days for me to rise after Brendon's fall. I couldn't get over the fact that he'd just given up. But in the end, I realised how much pain he would have been in, and now he didn't ache in pain.

My tears wouldn't stop flowing now. Before I hadn't been able to start them, but now I couldn't turn them off. It was pretty awful, as everybody kept staring at me sympathetically. I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't look anyone in the eye, not even my own family.

My family. Now broken apart. No longer 5, but 4. It hadn't hit me yet at that point in time.

I still blamed myself for his death. If I had been there, I could have protected him, saved him from perishing. Let him live his life properly; going to high school, getting married, having kids, growing old. Now, though? None of that would ever happen. Sad, really. It made me angry, but mostly upset, and that was why I couldn't stop crying. I understand these days.

Back in the day, I still didn't understand how my perfect brother could die, and not me. I nearly suicided several times over those next couple of days; pulling a belt tight around my neck; staring down at the ground from our high hotel room; even simply stopping myself breathing. But each time someone sadly interrupted, pulled my head out of the welcoming heavens of death and into the grim reality of life. Eventually I gave up trying to kill myself.

*****

When my tears finally slowed for a little while, I decided to visit Maxine. Since everyone else was dying, I thought to myself, 'I hope she's still alive'.

She was. Her hair had been cut short, and much of her wasn't as pretty as it used to be. But she still was here, and smiled as I entered, even though she couldn't properly speak. Doctors presumed she was suffering from a little brain damage, but it wouldn't be permanent. They had placed her on some special medicine, which would hopefully improve her state of mind.

I sighed as I collapsed on the seat beside her. "Oh, Max. If only you knew how much tragedy there was right now. Everyone's dying. I don't know how I can go on. I'm really glad you're safe, as well as everyone else who's been saved, but those who're gone now meant so much to us all. And even Harvey's gone at the – "

"H...Harv... ey!" my friend suddenly called out.

I nearly burst into tears once more. "Yes, your twin, Harvey. He hasn't been found yet, everyone's assuming he's one of the unidentified dead bodies, though I'm holding out hope – "

"C... cave!"

I frowned, wiping away my tears that were once again about to spill. "Yes, you were found in a cave. Why? That has nothing to do with your brother. He's probably dead, everyone says".

"Me... Max... cave..."

"Yes, you, Max, were found in the cave on the volcanic island". I was beginning to get frustrated, and it leaked into my voice. "Listen, Max, maybe it's best if I'm not here with you. You're probably exhausted, and I've had a rough few days".

Her head must've really been bumped, as she didn't actually understand until I was nearly walking out the door. She made weird noises, much like she was in hospital for an entirely different reason, and it made me pause.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll stay", I told her, rolling my eyes. "Calm down, we don't want you having a heart attack".

But my friend's head was shaking. "Me... Max... cave – "

"YES! We already discussed this!" I interrupted, now getting mad. "Max, listen – "

"Harv... ey... cave... me... Max... boat".

I froze.

All this time, everyone had been saying her spluttered words were all a mess, her brain wasn't working properly. But what if, instead, she was trying to say something?

"Maxine Johnson, can you please repeat that?" I breathed. I waited breathlessly as she stuttered out the syllables again.

"Me... Max... Harv... ey... cave... boff... ba... ba... ck... la... va... go".

She fell backwards onto her pillow, clearly exhausted. But she'd done her job. I understood. She knew where Harvey was. He wasn't one of the unidentified bodies, dead or alive. He was in the cave!