Chapter 19

FLAMES

THE INCESSANT HUMMING DIDN’T STOP.

THE NIGHTMARES DIDN’T STAY BACK.

“Leave! It was one job, I gave you one job. Look at your brother, are you seeing that? Did you see the burnt skin on him? He could have died, you could have killed him!”

“Dad-It was an accident. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry!”

A step forward and they all looked at me with ire. Like I was the devil incarnate.

My father turned away clicking his tongue, my mother, the woman who’d always been on my side couldn’t even look at me.

The humming roared, the walls caved in, my hand stretched out at the unconscious boy on the disgustingly blue-covered bed, machines hauntingly beeping around him reminding me how much of an ass I was as a big brother.

Diego opened his eyes, he whipped his head weakly looking at me and I could never get that image out of my head.

Skin charred, flesh distorted like melted plastic, half of his face burnt beyond recognition.

That green in his eyes he’d inherited from my father all gone and, in i