Even though it was weeks ago, the news about the World's Largest Earthquake was still buzzing as if it had happened yesterday. The earthquake that struck the cul-de-sac and ended the life of Sarah before my eyes was recorded with a magnitude of 12.4, which a nurse told me was very, very big. It destroyed nearly every building in the Peach Creek area but it left the hospital--which was built in a special location and strong enough to withstand violent tremors--roughly unscathed. The building where most of our parents worked as well as the Jawbreaker Factory were ruined in the disaster, and the aftershocks caused more buildings to topple around them. Losing our parents was devestating but none of us ever really talked or did stuff with them. Even so, everyone missed their moms and dads and for the first few nights there was a lot of crying on the upper floor. The staff was amazed at how many kids survived the earthquake--apparently Rolf's giant clam served as a shield against the debris and collapsing buildings and he saved as many kids as he could. Except Johnny and Edd, that is.
I wheeled myself over to the food court where the kids and a few other refugees were eating lunch. It was my first time out of the hospital room and I noticed as I came into the sunlight pouring through the windows that I became awfully pale. The kids said their hellos and "hey Jimmy"s and whatnot and I sat down next to Nazz. I can't remember exactly what I ate, but I know that whatever I did eat didn't make me any less painfully hungry.
I looked around and nearly lost my lunch at the sight of Johnny's left arm--or what was left of it. The only thing coming out of the sleeve of his hospital gown was a short nub with a stock-car pileup of skin on the end of it. I noticed Plank, who had quite a few chunks missing and part of his bottom-right corner scorched, "sitting" on the chair next to Johnny.
"Oh, I'm sorry Jimmy." Johnny said as he noticed my face turning green. He reached over with his right arm and turned Plank around on the chair.
"I know Plank looks pretty sick but you're okay, aren't ya buddy?" he said, oblivious to what really was making me ill. I looked around, having forgotten the conversation held at my awakening at the hospital, and asked again where Double-D was. Once again, the kids got a surprised face followed by an unseen force keeping them from looking directly at me. I glanced over at Ed and noticed tears forming in his eyes. Even the Kanker Sisters--who weren't present at my initiation to the hospital--started sniffling a bit, even the blue-haired one. Mary, or something like that. I looked at Kevin, who's newfound shyness started turning into frustration by the look of his face.
"DOULBE-D IS DEAD!" he shouted out, his face red and his eyes glistening with moisture. He broke down and started crying into his arms. Ed and Mary lost it too, and they started to cry as well. I was stricken by this by the same feeling I experienced when I lost Sarah, only this wasn't nearly as bad. But it was still horrible, like falling off of your bed in your sleep and you have a sick feeling of pain and confusion all at the same time. I waited patiently while Kevin and the others let off steam, and soon they calmed down to the point where they could talk again. Nazz, noticing the seriousness in the air, decided to reiterate another tragedy that happened in my already-ruined life.
"Jimmy....I think you should know.....but Sarah--"
"Nazz!!" Kevin interrupted.
"It's okay guys, I know." I said quietly. I had had enough depressing news and akward silences for one day, so I retired to my oh too familar hospital room. On my way out, through, the voice I heard haunts me even to this day.
"You killed my little sister."
My eyes widened and a jolt of fear shot up my spine. I had never heard Ed say something in such a sinister tone but when I did a James-Bond 180 in my wheelchair I only saw Ed with his attention focused on the rest of the kids, who didn't seem hear him. He saw me looking at him and waved at me with his familar goofy grin. I waved back--nervously--and shrugged the whole thing off as a halucination.
That night was one of the worst I had in the hospital. Normally I would just pass out from exhaustion because the pain wouldn't let my sleep by normal means, but the halucination of Ed's threatening voice had a lot of friends. All around me I heard voices; sinister, dark, reminding me over and over that I killed her. I killed Sarah, I killed Sarah, I killed Sarah. I didn't just hear the voices, I felt them swirling around my head and making my headache to the point of exploding. Around my bed I would see things. Dark things with no describable shape looming over me and staring at me with eyeless vision. I felt my head swell to the size of a planet as the pain grew and forced it outwards. The voices started getting louder and louder and I felt me eardrums breaking inside my ever-growing skull. I screamed and shouted for it all to stop and the last thing I remember was a sharp pain in my arm and then darkness.