Chapter 33: He is Gone

Emily’s perspective:

Gabby lies next to me, moaning in her sleep. I can only imagine the pain and fear gripping her enlivened mind, even in its slumber. I snuggle up a little closer and grab her hand, hoping my touch will, even if only subconsciously, provide some kind of comfort.

Her eyes are moving behind their lids rapidly. What is she dreaming about? What is the nightmare stoking the fires of her imagination, and can it be worse than this reality we, unfortunately, call life? Watching the anxious shadows dance on her cheeks, I can’t help but let my own anxiety tense every muscle in my body.

Ever since we were kids, life hasn’t given us a break. There was death all around us. Loneliness. Betrayal. Will anything ever go right? I had hoped giving in to fate would wash away the past, somehow. I let myself be taken in by love, to be vulnerable, and this is what I get? Brokenness. Broken heart. Broken back. My will to continue is breaking.