Chapter 4
Edna
This woman must be joking.
What kind of nonsense was she spouting?
"Stop using your tongue to bring bad luck to people. My brother need a medical attention!" I said.
"Don't waste my time. No amount of medical assistance would bring the dead to life. My condolences." The woman replied. She didn't even turn around to look at me.
Her indifferent dismissal made me feel like a clown in a circus.
I wasn't willing to give up though.
She returned to the group in charge of checking identification and eligibility of those that would board the spaceship.
"Tyler. Tell her she's wrong. She likes to joke." I said to my brother.
Heat was leaving his body quickly and his skin was as cold as metal.
My brother didn't reply.
The blood pouring from his wound slowed down.
I tilted my head to the side to look at Tyler.
My movements disturbed him. His head moved without direction before settling on the crook of my neck again. Tyler's eyes was closed.
His black lashes casted a dark show on the upper part of his cheeks.
His pale face pricked my eyes.
He looked like he was having a peaceful sleep.
I dropped the knife in my hand.
The sharp sound the steel knife caused made some eyes land on my figure.
Some people whispered to themselves while others looked at me coldly.
I removed my hand from his bleeding stomach.
I brought my free hand to his nose.
No air was going in and Tyler wasn't exhaling.
My heart shattered with a resounding noise.
Strength left my body.
"Tyler! No, no, no. You can not do this to me. Is this how you want to bail out on your plan to take care of me forever?" I shouted.
I shook his body.
I wanted some kind of response.
I would take anything.
Anything.
Tears burned my eyes.
I did not blink them away this time.
I let them drip down.
The warm path my tears left on my cheeks felt like lava tracks.
Sobs burst out of my throat as I hugged him.
The years of love and familiar affection we spent together flashed through my mind's inner eye.
There were many things I wanted to change.
If I knew my brother was going to leave me all alone in this world, I would have spent more quality time with him.
Penelope!
If I could go back to the past, I would kill Penelope the moment she took one step towards us.
Alas, reality was stark.
Things didn't always go the way people want them to go.
I wanted to stay here with my brother. Death did not look too scary anymore.
I curbed the urge to give in to that dark desire. Tyler would not want me to die with him on this planet. Even in the last moments of his life he wanted to see me board the spaceship. I have to live and I have to live well.
Even if it was not what I wanted, I have to do it for Tyler.
The ground I was standing on began to shake violently.
I look downwards to see tiny cracks dividing the ground into segments.
I could see a faint hint of red, orange and yellow. Bursts of heat seeped out of these cracks.
The faces of the seven men and women checking the people that were eligible to get on the spaceship changed drastically.
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Their faces became solemn.
"Come forward with your ID cards. No stories or dawdling!" One of the men barked.
The crowd nodded collectively.
I tightened my hold on my brother again.
It was sad.
Tyler died unjustly but I could not give him a basic burial.
I dragged him to a darkened corner near the entrance.
From the corner of my eyes, I could see the crowd get smaller.
The inspectors had increased their pace.
A small group of people had dead look on their faces. Some of them were sitting down and the others sat in the ground unceremoniously.
Those sitting on the ground seemed to feel nothing but numbness. It was like the cracked ground and heat was non-existent.
Without asking any questions, I knew why those people were like that.
They had no quota and there wasn't anyone willing to take them away.
These people had embraced death.
I laid Tyler down on the floor.
There wasn't any sand here.
I straightened his posture and closed my eyes.
"I pray you enjoy great comfort in heaven. Suffering won't be your portion after death." I whispered prayer, "Amen."
My eyes fell on my brother's body one last time.
I traced his features with my eyes over and over again. I didn't want to forget him.
No one would have imagined that the person lying on the floor was speaking and laughing with me a few minutes ago.
The hands of fate was cruel and unrelenting.
I rushed back to the spaceship with the two bags hanging on my body. One of the bags belonged to Tyler.
His bag was going to be a reminder of the great brother I lost.
I walked over to the inspectors.
I gave them my ID card.
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"Name?" A man with blonde hair asked.
"Edna Diaz." I replied in a numb voice.
All the excitement I felt for having a chance to survive had dried up in the face of reality.
"You can go on the spaceship." The man waved me away.
I put my heavy foot in front of the other as I moved towards the spaceship.
"Hey! Wait!" A voice called.
I didn't turn around.
I was sure I wasn't the one being addressed.
"The girl with two bags. Your name starts with an E!" The voice said again.
This time, I can not convince myself anymore. I was the person the voice was calling for.
I turned around.
The voice came from a thin girl around my age.
Her flaxen hair was packed into a messy bun.
Her bright blue eyes stared at me intently.
I was sure I have seen this face before.
Then, it clicked.
She was part of the small group that was waiting for death.
Right now, she had thrown the first impression I had of her away. There was a bright light in her eyes.
"You should have another ID card, right?" She asked in a timid voice.
Her demeanor changed drastically.
There was no hint of the lady that was shouting my name a few seconds ago.
I nodded, "I do."
She licked her lips, "I, uhm. I saw you when you took your brother away. Can you give me his ID card? Or, can you vouch that I am a part of your family? I will work for you for the rest of my days if you save me!" The wound in my heart was ripped open again.