The One Alive

Bright light reached my face, interupting my slumber. I slowly opened my eyes.

I snap awake as I remembered what happened. I shot up, vaguely aware where I was. I grabbed and dabbed my face checking if the cockroaches were still there or if my face was okay.

It was.

Gone was all the horrifying discolored bumps and lumps on my face; my face was as smooth as always. I clenched my eyes shut and ground my molars as I remembered the painful feeling of those little bristle like feet of the insects digging against my raw flesh, swimming through the inside of my skin.

I put a palm against my forehead as I shiver by the thoughts of what just happened, I felt warmth coming from my left. It was my mother, embracing me. I glanced at her crying face. I made a slight grin.

"Mom, what're you doing here?"

I dont know why I just asked that, the answer is pretty obvious.

"Because you need us, and that's what's family is for."

She smiled, tears were visible staining her face with glittery white. I shook my head facing down in disagreement...

Shes a persuasive bitch, she'll act tough and thoughtful only to slap you the fact that she's important and that you have to do every slightest shit for her: to be her puppet. To act like you owe her shit. Shes stuck in the though that shes the mother and you're the daughter, someone to control, to rule, to blame everything at, to put all her stress at, and that daughter is me. I sat there in silence for about a minute as my father spoke.

"Aren't you even gonna ask what happened?"

I flinched and face my dad leaning against the wall. His tone was annoyed and has a trace of anger. My mom panicked and shouted at him.

"Stop it, Jerry she just woke up!"

"Why? What happened?"

I asked.

"Jerry don't you dare!"

My mom yelled at my dad with a crack on her voice and on the verge of sobbing in tears.

"Oh shut up! Our life was already ruined after what you did to yourself! I can't take any more bullshit no more!"

He yelled back, pointing at himself and down to the floor... My mom responded with her version of shameless sobs. My mom almost died on alcohol poisoning when she drank herself to sleep every night when she caught my father cheating on her. She never fully recovered from that, physically, emotionally and mentally.

"Huff, do you know that YOU and YOUR friends has been missing for 3 months!"

He paused and before I could even open my mouth to respond he continued to speak.

"DO! You know that you've been sleeping for weeks! In this shit hole making ME pay for every night you've spent here being a burden to our already on rock bottom family!?"

I can see my dad snapping, rambling all the things he's been holding in ever since my mom turned and leaving every single responsibility onto his hands. I can't really blame my mother though, she just really loved dad but dad doesn't.

I can see he's breaking apart, and I think my mother is secretly loving this moment of vulnerability of my father. I looked down at my lap as I almost jerked out of bed after he spoke the words that totally fucked my mind.

"Your friends are dead and you're the only one found alive. Your the only one alive."

My dad said unexpectedly with soft voice as he lean down again against the wall and slid down and sat on the floor covering his forehead with both of his palm.

".... F- .. huh?"

I was half cussing as I remembered I'm in a public building in a room with educated people.

I was at loss of words, dumbfounded, making confused faces. First of, how am I still alive if we've been missing for 3 fucking months?! How the fuck am I still alive?! Did the cube preserved my body and healed my wounds? How the fuck did those fuckers die?

I snapped into reality as I felt rough shaking on both my shoulders, I looked at the person and it was my mom. Shes crying like her life depended on it, chanting 'its alright'.

"How?"

As a light knock on the wooden door drifted all our heads. A cop came in. The chief of police, flashing us his badge.

"Dennis Harrison, Dynlin's Police chief. I can see she's already awake. Sorry for the intrusion."

He walked in with confidence like he didn't just walked in on a very dramatic scene.

"I don't really wanna ask you this just right when you wake up but the families of the victims are very impatient to learn the bare truth."

The chief said nodding to my father encouraging his presence as my father returned the gesture. The police chief walked up to me and patted my mothers shoulder comforting her or maybe asking for her permission.

"May I have this honor?"

He asked as he grabbed a chair and drag it near my bed.

"Yeah, ask away."

I said plainly. Leaning back on the headboard.

"Could you tell me what exactly were the 3 of you doing in such a place?"

He asked with sincerity in his eyes, the man looked like he's in the middle of transitioning from 30 to his 40's, he was huge with short bright ash brown hair and has a light stubble sharp nose and scary eyes. Fitting for his role. For sure he was handsome in his younger days, he still is but with older charm.

"We were on an adventure. We just wanted to do some exploring when the floor collapsed leaving Hana with a broken leg."

I answered plainly, I wanted to answer as limited details as possible, I just want this to end. I don't wanna talk about them.

"I see, thats explains why there was a huge hole on the ceiling"

He said, writing it down still mumbling words i dont bother taking interest of. Everyone was silent.

"What exactly happened after that, could you tell me?"

"No need to beg, I'll tell you everything."

My nerves started burning as I remembered what they had done to me. My parents made sour faces as I suddenly change my attitude towards the chief.

"Those bastards tried to kill me, they pushed me in that cube machine! Just staring at me while I spun like a piece of cloth in a washing machine!... I don't even know why am I still alive!"

I said leaving my mom gasp and cry shamelessly. I continued talking.

"The cube was filled with deadly insects! I thought it was my end as I feel them digging under my skin."

I didn't cry, instead rage filled my eyes. I looked at the officer, he doesn't seem to be impressed.

"I'm sorry for that traumatizing experience but I'm afraid you were found unharmed and not a single wound was found in your body but rather... "

The cop paused, took a sharp breath and stared deeply in my eyes.

"In fact, your friends were crushed by the cube to death. Jean Delavigne and Hana Blues, broken leg, crushed empty skull-"

"OKAY THATS ENOUGH! that's enough officee!! GET OUT!!"

My mom yelled. I never heard her yell this loud.

Shocked, the chief apologised then left, I can see he was also surprised by his actions or by my mothers outrage to such petty reason.

"What the fheck mom!?"

I was close to yell the 'fuck' word but considering her as my mother shifted my tongue to change it as 'heck'.

I yelled at her. Actually, I was left shitless by what the chief said but I was eager to hear more how those fuckers die and this bitch beside me took that opportunity away... She thinks everything is about her, she's not even the one whos involve, she's not even the victim here! Gosh, she's soo self absorbed! She just love to exaggerate.

"What!? You just recovered from a traumatizing event and now that chief just told you how your friends die! ITS NOT FAIR!"

"It's not for you to decide mom!... I want to know how those bastards die!"