Survival Mode

Chapter 10: The Man Who Cried Fire

He came in sighing and trying to find his words.

"Look your probably thinking-."

I cut him off before he could speak.

"Why are you here? What are you doing here? Oh even better. HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" I said annoyed.

"Right, so how can I-." He said trying to find his words. Fiddling with his fingers.

"You can start from the beginning." I said with a rude attitude, arching my eyebrow in a way that says, I'm waiting.

"Ok so the day of the fire." He began but stopped.

"Not really sure how to explain this, so I'll try my best." He trailed off before he spoke again.

"The day that you had came home from school, before you came home, I was already home by that time and your mom and I had gotten into a nasty fight, about how we can help better you in school and stop you from misbehaving. It wasn't your fault it was ours. It was ours because we had different ideas and ways that we thought could help you, but we kept agreeing to disagree and it became frustrating. Then I decided to go for a walk and stumbled upon a new bar so I thought, what's the worse that could happen? I went inside the bar and they told me, since they were still new, they wanted a customers opinion on the drinks. So, me knowing my way around alcohol, I volunteered and soon enough, I had drinks after drinks.

Then after that, I was smart enough to know to call a cab and so I drunkly dialed one and after a few moments. A taxi had pulled up and I had gotten into the cab and the time read 10:30 P.M. I wanted to try my best to be absolutely quiet, since I figured you guys would probably be asleep. Then I went up the steps to the house and unlocked the door. I tried my best to be quiet and then I barely made it upstairs as I stumbled over something and fell asleep on the ground. Your mother had heard something and cautiously came over, after she had stopped her cooking for a brief moment she had checked my pulse. I was still alive.

She tried her best to pick me up off the floor and at least put me on the couch. It was useless, I was too heavy. Then she gave up and forgetting she put the fire to high and to close to aluminum foil, she went upstairs for a brief moment. Then as I was still passed out on the floor, I accidentally knocked a vase over as I was slowly gaining consciousness and that's when you woke up, and started walking down the stairs. Before you could of seen me, I was clumsy and fell again.

You thought I was a drunk mess which I was, so then you made a smart choice and you went to get your mother. Smart call. By the time you got back though, I was already gone. I smelled the fire and tried yelling to you and your mother that there's a fire in the house. I went outside to hopefully gather attention so people could help, then I tried going back inside but by that time, the fire department already came and they wouldn't let me in.

I was glad to hear that you were ok and alive. I was sad to hear your mother didn't make it though. Then at the police station I ran into Axel, cause it turns out he has a uncle in the force and he was visiting him. He had seen me, then offered me a ride home. I was still sobering up, when he asked me about my residence, we had pulled up and he asked me if I had gotten the area confused, I said no and asked him why. He told me that the house I sent him too, wasn't their anymore, it was down in ashes.

Then he offered to let me crash with him if I promised to get sober and stay sober. I told him I've been trying to for awhile now and he called it bullshit and said if I truly wanted to I would have. I responded and told him that he was right and I really needed some serious help. Which he offered of course and said I also needed to help myself too. Then he drove me back here obviously before getting his pregnant girlfriend along the ride and well here we are."

He said finishing the story with a sigh of relief like it's been killing him.

"So, let me get this straight. You basically killed mom?!" I said with wide eyes and getting off my bed to slowly walk backwards." I scoffed, " This whole time I've been getting nightmares about mom telling me, it'll be ok and YOU telling me that I was a murderer? FOR SOMETHING I DIDN'T DO? ARE YOU f*****g KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?" I was beyond pissed by this point, anybody would be.

"You gotta understand that I was drunk and couldn't really do anything. Which is no excuse and which is why I wanted to come to you for forgiveness." He said nearly almost crying. Tears on the brick of his eyelids as he was about to cry for his loss of his wife and a part of him.

"Up yours dad! F-ck you and your pathetic loser excuse! Your a deadbeat and I wish it was you!"

"Uh, I'm not forgiving you, if you really think I'm gonna forgive you for something that big. You got another thing coming." I sniffed and started crying before I continued. While shutting my eyes as I breathed I said, "I'd greatly enjoy it if you took your leave now."

"But-" he tried to start but I stopped him.

"Now." I said serious and with tears falling down my eyes down to my chin.

Axel then walked into the room with his girlfriend letting us know it was time for dinner. He was never one to read the room so he looked around and was pretty happy. Then we went downstairs to eat and it was very quiet until Axel broke the ice.

"Soo...you girls know each other already, you know when I introduced you yesterday. My Marbèl here, has been having troubles making new friends. How bout after dinner you girls go upstairs and try to get to know each other better, yay!" He said clapping his hands and ushering us to go upstairs.

"Oh now?" I said confused.

He nodded.

"Baby." Marbèl said softly, messaging her stomach in circles.

He hummed in response.

"I don't think I could be friends with a slow girl." She pouted. He only kissed her lips then responded to her.

"Just try, she's not that bad when you get to know her. I wouldn't lie to you, now would I?" He said smiling. She contemplated for a second then hummed a-

"Hmm, ok." She said practically jumping.

We went upstairs and she practically dragged me to her room while shutting the door and removing her makeup, I stood awkwardly.

"I know your secret." She said in her accent I couldn't quite figure out yet.

"I know you like Axel." She turned around crossing her arms and staring me down hard. That was all she said that left my mouth agape with no response. How do you even respond when your put open on the spot like that?

“No I don’t, what are you even talking about?” I said fake confused.

“Sure you don’t.” She scoffed and walked away swaying her hips side to side.