Family Conflict
~Mason~
Splat.
A body sprawled out on the sidewalk. Blood was everywhere and I could hear the crunching of bones probably from a mile off. I saw the person jump but could not move towards them or stop them. The person happens to be my boyfriend, Steve. I felt tears rise to my eyes. His blood continued to seep into the ground; there was a large gash on his head, likely where he hit the hardest. I closed my eyes, willing the scene around me to disappear. In moments, the world around me changes.
A gunshot rang in my ears and then I heard screams of pain. I will myself to look at the poor soul, gasping when I do. Lying there, in a pool of their own blood, dying, was my younger sister, Emily. I try to scream out, do something, but the vision won’t let me. I watch in terror as the life leaves her body for good. I don’t fully register until it’s too late that the person who shot Emily ran away with everything Emily had of any value. I had time to see who it was who did it and I blew it. I sigh dramatically, and the world around me changes again.
I take in my surroundings. I no longer in a dark alleyway, I was now it what seemed to be a cabin; the cabin looked very familiar. I started to take in my surroundings when I heard shouting and things being broken. Startled, I turned around to see two people fighting. The person who seemed to be the angriest was my mom’s best childhood friend, Connie, the other person was my mom. The fighting and arguing seemed to go on forever until, suddenly, Connie pushed my mom hard enough to cause my mom to fall and hit her head on the sharp edge of a table. Connie screamed and quickly called 911. I gasp and my hand instantly goes to my mouth even though no one in these visions can hear me.
The vision fades and I’m left sitting in my chair in the dining room, stunned by the choice I am faced with this time around. Why is life so cruel to me? I thought to myself as I groaned and stood up. I let some tears fall as I took care of my dishes while finishing my, now cold, coffee. I sighed loudly as I went over to where I leave my cell phone, picking it up. I scroll through my contacts before landing on Dave’s, he’s my detective friend. I might only be able to save one person myself, physically, but I will always tip off the police in the hopes they might be able to do something. After giving Dave the information he needed, I hung up and went upstairs to get ready for the day. As I was walking downstairs, my doorbell rang. I went to the front door, unlocking, and opening it. I smiled at the other person on the other side, Steve.
“Hey babe, how are you doing?” He asked as he kissed me on the cheek.
“Oh, you know, could be better.” I said, truthfully.
“Ah, those visions getting to you again?”
“You could say that.” I laughed a bit nervously and followed him to the couch.
~Days later~
I had been thinking about the visions of my loved ones dying for days, trying to decide who I’d save. It was much harder during the times when I knew who the people were. I suppose Steve would be the hardest for the cops to save because falling off of a building is pretty foolproof. However, it was hard to just not save my mom and Emily. I sighed, rubbing my face in my hands. I’ve been doing my best to keep Steve indoors and not go out anywhere besides the grocery store and work since those aren’t the building he fell off of in the vision. Oh well, we’ll find out if I succeeded once Dave calls with the news of whether my mom and sister are dead since all of the paired visions always happen the same day. I was sitting in my favorite recliner, listening to the radio and reading the newspaper when my phone went off. I sighed, setting the paper down, and got up out of my chair. I walked over to where my phone sat and looked at the Caller ID.
“Hello,” I greeted.
“Hey, man. Your mom and sister were both just wheeled into the hospital. They’re both in pretty bad shape. Luckily, the bullet in your sister didn’t hit any major organs, however, they suspect your mother might be in a coma. She hit her head pretty hard and it did quite a bit of damage. Your mom’s best friend, Connie, is pretty broken up about the whole thing; I’m not sure if she’ll be charged with anything.” Dave seemed pretty calm.
“Alright, thank you.” I stared out the window at the dark and rainy world outside as I said this.
