She held the gun gripped in terror; his body wavered in pain as he rose to his feet. Fear and rage filled the space that once held his screaming; his eyeball gouged into his brain. He swayed, then lunged for the gun. She pulled the trigger and fired one shot that I always thought was heard ‘round the world; he crumpled to the floor and drew his last breath. 

   My body ached as the early evening drew to a close; in the distance I heard sirens and instantly thought of him, just as I always did. Something I had learned at a very early age, the connection between sirens and my family. I felt a slight chill run up my spine and hoped for his well being, wherever he was. I hadn’t seen him since I had asked him to move; both of us unable to tolerate his behavior any longer. There had always been a special bond between my brother and I, perhaps born out of insecurities from a long line of personal tragedies. Whatever the source, we were bonded like twins, so very similar, so very different.

   We had spent the day ‘cleaning house’ in the morning hours; proceeding with enthusiasm outside to enjoy one of the last late summer days. A noticeable transition in the temperatures had already begun to take place; there was a hint of fall on my skin as daylight drew to a close. I stepped into the sectioned space that once yielded vegetables and began to tug on the tall dry weeds that had since taken their place; my body refusing to give in to the dusk that had slowly settled around my being. I heard a low wheeww and looked up as she took off her cap and wiped her forehead. “I don’t know about you honey, but I’ve about had it for one day, what do you say we call it quits? I’m going to go hop in the shower, why don’t you call us in some Chinese food and I’ll run and get it while you take your bath.” “Sounds good to me.” 

   A low moan escaped my lips as I bent to gather my belongings. I lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly as I looked around the back yard; even the earth seemed to sigh of summer fatigue. I picked up my empty cup and headed for the back door. Stepping inside I could see the steam rolling out of the bathroom doorway. “I’m exhausted” she said, stepping out of the shower. “You and me both honey.” BJ and I had been together for almost a decade; her presence had become one of the most positive influences in my life. “Do I need to stop and pick you up a drink?” “No, I’ve got one in the fridge” as I slowly began to disrobe. “Please be careful;” she brushed my lips and disappeared through the door. I turned on the shower and reached to get a clean towel; in the distance I heard more sirens and clearly understood why she hated living beside the Interstate.

   I bolted upright in bed, startled by the pounding on the door. Exhaustion had wrapped our bodies in a deep sleep but now our brains were jolted to a blurry consciousness. “Who can that be at this hour?” “God I don’t know but it sounds like they’re trying to beat the door down!” “Just a minute! I’ll be right there!” I called out into the darkness. “Damn, where in the hell is my robe!” “Just a minute! I’m coming!” Cautiously we crept to the door; “who is it!?”  “It’s the Sheriff’s Department ma’am.” “Well, what do you want!?” “We’re detectives ma’am, we need you to open the door so we can to talk to you.” “How do I know you’re really detectives?”  “This is Royce! Open the door damnit, your brother’s dead! He got killed this afternoon robbing a store!” I peeped through the blinds, two plain clothes detectives with badge in hand stood on the deck with a third person. a face that I vaguely remembered as one of  the many “friends” that I had disapproved of. I opened the door and felt myself go numb. As the detectives shared what information they had gathered, I silently began to scream inside, wake up! Wake up!

   “Good evening. My name is DG and I'll be facilitating this creative writing class. I think most of you are here so let's get started. As I call out your name please let me know that you are present.” I looked around the room, all of the faces were unfamiliar. I shifted in my seat; the flashing subsided and the class began.