Zack…Zack…Zack…

For every heartbeat of mine, I can hear his name. I run over to my brother, as the driver gets out and hurries over. He reaches out, but I put my body over my brother's.

'Don't touch him!' I shout.

He misunderstands, thinking that I was talking about the injuries.

'Of course, of course, he may have spinal injuries…b-but I was only going 30 m-miles…if that, he-he he was just t-there i-in front of me –'

'Call 911!' I interrupt loudly.

'Y-Yes, m-my cell…it's in the car.' He rushes over to his car, looking through the hand compartment.

I can see Zack's basketball a few metres away. It bounces lifelessly once or twice before rolling away. My brother can't be hurt. There's no blood, or anything. No bruises, no nothing. He can't be hurt. He'll wake up in a minute…he'll scream 'Gotcha!' and then run off, before I can get him back. I wait for it to happen…but it doesn't. He stays there…just still. I look into his face, he's still almost smiling. A memory of his last laugh, last joke, last smile.

The man runs back out. 'I-I've called an ambulance.'

I give a little jerk. 'Have you called the police?'

He mirrors my movement. 'N-no. He ran in front of me, you saw, didn't you?'

I saw. Everyone did. People are gathering around by now, whispering and pointing. I take Zack's hand, it's warm but I rip off my jacket and tuck it around him.

Even though the driver didn't call the police, they came anyway. I'm still holding Zack's hand while they take him into the ambulance…but a policeman is asking me questions.

Where you with him when it happened? What actually happened? Are you related? Of course I'm related, have you looked at us? We're twins.

'We…' I can't say anything. Not anything that's useful to them anyway. I can only say one word.

'Zack!'

'We have to take him for a check-up; he needs to get over the shock.' Says an ambulance woman.

They help me into the ambulance, and they shut the doors. The lights are blaring, the sound deafening. I take Zack's hand again.

'It won't hurt him, will it?'

'No, sweetie, that should be fine.' She's very nice, but her concentration's on Zack. Not that I don't want it to be.

She opens his eyelids and shines a small torch. When she looks in his eyes, so do I. The sparkle that's usually there is gone. His eyes are dull and lifeless.

When we got to the hospital, Zack was taken away from me. I had to sit in the waiting room, while they worked on Zack in another room.

I start counting to 1000.

I'm on the last hundred now. I can't let anyone interrupt me. If they do, it won't work.

'Cody?'

No, don't interrupt me. I'm nearly there. 77…78…79…

'Cody? Zack, he didn't make it.'

I gulp. I knew what the nurse meant, of course I did, but I didn't want to believe it.

'Didn't make what?'

'Zack…he's dead. He died. I'm so sorry, sweetie.'

But I was so close. 85…86…87… So close.

She hands me a plastic bag with stuff, which has Zachary Martin printed on the front. I look inside. There's his cell phone, and his wallet, and his dog tags he never takes off, and the ring I gave him for Christmas…

'W-Where's his s-school bag?' I ask, choking back tears.

'Right here, sweetheart.' She hands me it and I run. I run out of the hospital, back down the road, past the school. There's a bunch of flowers there already. And his basketball has been laid there. He's only been dead five minutes, and people already know? I place his school bag down there and start to walk on, crying.

'Hey, I wanted that!' I hear a familiar voice.

I turn round, and I see my brother standing there. He's pale and almost white. My eyes widen and he laughs at my expression.

'What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost!' Zack says, still laughing.

Ooh, is he a ghost? Please R+R!