Sweet Dreams
Kenneth yelled out into the night with a bellowing cry. It was the type of clatter that the Crossroads group had gotten used to. In the nearly complete obscurity of the night it was hard to see but Ana could make out Ken from her cot. She sat up quickly and found that he'd waken everyone else as well.
From the dim light that there was in the mall they could all see that he was covered in a fine sweat that was accumulating on his brow and upper lip. His whole body shook in nervous jolts like he was being shocked by a large amount of electricity.
"Harvey!" He yelled with a volume that made everyone in the room jump. "Harvey!" He screeched it with even more fear and anger in his voice. There was no doubt about who Harvey was. Kenneth had a brother that, by assumption only, had died at Fort Pastor.
"Harvey, I'm coming!" He yelled it again. It was more than hard to watch such a large man that seemed to be afraid of nothing in a state of complete helplessness. Ana walked over to him in an attempt to wake him from his terrifying nightmare. She knew how horrible it was to dream about lost loved ones and she wanted to pull him from that hell as quick as possible.
She reached over and, with a gentle touch, shook his shoulder. This was soon considered to be a bad idea. He'd fallen to the ground on the other side of the bed, and it was there that he started to cry. It was obvious to the group that he didn't know they were watching.
It seemed to Ana that Kenneth had met a breakdown point and his true feelings were reaching the surface. He stood up from the sweat and tear soaked ground, using all his might. Startled by the onlookers, Kenneth jumped back a bit.
"What tha fuck are yall lookin' at?" He said in a pissed voice. It was more than obvious to Ana that Kenneth had been hiding all the pain this entire time and this was all an act. If that was how he needed to cope than she was more than happy to let the process carry itself out.
Ken grabbed at his dark blue, sleeveless shirt from the ground and looked back at Ana. "I'm going to the roof and yall better not follow me."
He started past the watching eyes with his bad-to-the-bone walk. Once his back was turned to them a single tear started to fall down his cheek, getting mixed with the sweat that still clung to his face. Horrible, that was how he felt.
Finding himself on the roof with nothing to do but stand, he let himself think about his brother some more. Harvey had been his baby brother and an old childhood memory rushed to his mind. It had been December and they were just little boys. The memory reached out a grabbed him like the skeletal had of Death. It clung to him and wouldn't let go. The recollection of that day wrapped around him like a dark cloak and it made everything else fall away. He soon found himself living in the memory for just a moment.
Kenneth was four years older than Harvey was and it was just an unwritten rule that Ken was to always look after him and make sure he was safe. There was a small pond not too far behind their small house that they used to swim in during the summer months. That winter the pond froze over with just a thin layer of the solid ice.
Harvey may have been a great kid with a wonderful heart but he wasn't always the brightest child. Seeing that the pond was frozen over, Harvey quickly ran out over the thin sheet of ice thinking that it would be thicker. It would have been his last mistake if Ken hadn't been there right behind him.
It wasn't long before the ice cracked, broke, and gave in under Harvey's weight. Not even giving it a second thought, Kenneth ran out onto the already weakened ice and pulled his brother out. He'd almost died himself over the deadly ice.
His brother was put in the hospital for the night, though he pulled through with no serious injuries. Kenneth remembered watching his brother get taken off and wondering if that would be the last time that he'd see him alive. His brother kept screaming about the pain or it all and a chill swept of Ken's body when he thought back to his screams.
It was the first life that Kenneth ever saved and it was that day that he decided he would be a police officer. It was that day that he made his mind up that he would never let any harm come to his baby brother's head.
Another tear rolled down his cheek but this one was followed by many more. There was no way that he'd let the others see him cry but he began blaming himself for his brother's death. Looking out into the dark blanket of the night sky, he started to talk to himself.
"I miss you baby brother", he said as he fought the tears. "I didn't mean to let you down." The tears were unstoppable now. "I wouldn't have told you to go to Fort Pastor if I had known that it wasn't safe. I'm sorry."
Kenneth thought that Harvey would be out of harms way if he stayed at Fort Pastor. It had been Kenneth's idea to meet up at the safe haven. Once again he fought the tears, and this time he did it long enough for himself to let out a yell that was full of his anguish, fear, hate, and above all, sorrow.
After a few hours spent on the roof, Ken went back down and found that everyone had settled back into bed. He joined them, well aware that the nightmares awaited him.
"Good night baby brother", he said into the dark space of the mall.
Kenneth yelled out into the night with a bellowing cry. It was the type of clatter that the Crossroads group had gotten used to. In the nearly complete obscurity of the night it was hard to see but Ana could make out Ken from her cot. She sat up quickly and found that he'd waken everyone else as well.
From the dim light that there was in the mall they could all see that he was covered in a fine sweat that was accumulating on his brow and upper lip. His whole body shook in nervous jolts like he was being shocked by a large amount of electricity.
"Harvey!" He yelled with a volume that made everyone in the room jump. "Harvey!" He screeched it with even more fear and anger in his voice. There was no doubt about who Harvey was. Kenneth had a brother that, by assumption only, had died at Fort Pastor.
"Harvey, I'm coming!" He yelled it again. It was more than hard to watch such a large man that seemed to be afraid of nothing in a state of complete helplessness. Ana walked over to him in an attempt to wake him from his terrifying nightmare. She knew how horrible it was to dream about lost loved ones and she wanted to pull him from that hell as quick as possible.
She reached over and, with a gentle touch, shook his shoulder. This was soon considered to be a bad idea. He'd fallen to the ground on the other side of the bed, and it was there that he started to cry. It was obvious to the group that he didn't know they were watching.
It seemed to Ana that Kenneth had met a breakdown point and his true feelings were reaching the surface. He stood up from the sweat and tear soaked ground, using all his might. Startled by the onlookers, Kenneth jumped back a bit.
"What tha fuck are yall lookin' at?" He said in a pissed voice. It was more than obvious to Ana that Kenneth had been hiding all the pain this entire time and this was all an act. If that was how he needed to cope than she was more than happy to let the process carry itself out.
Ken grabbed at his dark blue, sleeveless shirt from the ground and looked back at Ana. "I'm going to the roof and yall better not follow me."
He started past the watching eyes with his bad-to-the-bone walk. Once his back was turned to them a single tear started to fall down his cheek, getting mixed with the sweat that still clung to his face. Horrible, that was how he felt.
Finding himself on the roof with nothing to do but stand, he let himself think about his brother some more. Harvey had been his baby brother and an old childhood memory rushed to his mind. It had been December and they were just little boys. The memory reached out a grabbed him like the skeletal had of Death. It clung to him and wouldn't let go. The recollection of that day wrapped around him like a dark cloak and it made everything else fall away. He soon found himself living in the memory for just a moment.
Kenneth was four years older than Harvey was and it was just an unwritten rule that Ken was to always look after him and make sure he was safe. There was a small pond not too far behind their small house that they used to swim in during the summer months. That winter the pond froze over with just a thin layer of the solid ice.
Harvey may have been a great kid with a wonderful heart but he wasn't always the brightest child. Seeing that the pond was frozen over, Harvey quickly ran out over the thin sheet of ice thinking that it would be thicker. It would have been his last mistake if Ken hadn't been there right behind him.
It wasn't long before the ice cracked, broke, and gave in under Harvey's weight. Not even giving it a second thought, Kenneth ran out onto the already weakened ice and pulled his brother out. He'd almost died himself over the deadly ice.
His brother was put in the hospital for the night, though he pulled through with no serious injuries. Kenneth remembered watching his brother get taken off and wondering if that would be the last time that he'd see him alive. His brother kept screaming about the pain or it all and a chill swept of Ken's body when he thought back to his screams.
It was the first life that Kenneth ever saved and it was that day that he decided he would be a police officer. It was that day that he made his mind up that he would never let any harm come to his baby brother's head.
Another tear rolled down his cheek but this one was followed by many more. There was no way that he'd let the others see him cry but he began blaming himself for his brother's death. Looking out into the dark blanket of the night sky, he started to talk to himself.
"I miss you baby brother", he said as he fought the tears. "I didn't mean to let you down." The tears were unstoppable now. "I wouldn't have told you to go to Fort Pastor if I had known that it wasn't safe. I'm sorry."
Kenneth thought that Harvey would be out of harms way if he stayed at Fort Pastor. It had been Kenneth's idea to meet up at the safe haven. Once again he fought the tears, and this time he did it long enough for himself to let out a yell that was full of his anguish, fear, hate, and above all, sorrow.
After a few hours spent on the roof, Ken went back down and found that everyone had settled back into bed. He joined them, well aware that the nightmares awaited him.
"Good night baby brother", he said into the dark space of the mall.