The Taylight Zone - Anthology Seven

22 - Nothing Left - Silver Angel

*** idicates the start of a flashback. ~~~ indicates the end of one.


I looked at the figure lying in the hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and wires. All were working to keep my brother alive. I sighed. It was after 2 o'clock in the morning, and I'd been at the hospital for over 28 hours, about 4 of them asleep. My parents were at home, arranging things for-no. Don't think about that. I had to concentrate on my brother. The doctors said to talk to him, it would keep him alive. But what could I say to him? He was my brother, he was dying, but I didn't care. I didn't even want to be here.

***

We got off the plane. Home! But for only two weeks. Then it was off to London to start recording the new album. I noticed Zac was especially excited to get home. He was a little too young to be hanging around with Ike and me and the rest of the tour crew. He had really missed his friends, and was anxious to see them again. As soon as we got home he called most of his friends and invited them over. I asked him if he was sure he wanted all those people over. Mom and Dad and the kids were all resting, so Ike and I were the only ones left to supervise, and we were both ready to crash. Zac just shrugged. "C'mon, Tay. I've been stuck with you and Ike for the last five months. I'm ready for a little fun. I can handle them, don't worry." I shrugged, but I made a mental promise not to let those kids out of my sight. Even if I had to hide under a table. So I did. Zac certainly had a lot of people. Josh, John, Ryan, the Jacobson twins, Tony, Joe, and a couple of kids I didn't know. Zac didn't know them either. Joe had brought them along, and that made me even more wary. Joe had a reputation for being trouble, and I knew he had been caught more than once at school with marajuana. Ike was just about dead on his feet, so I sent him upstairs to sleep. He accepted gratefully, and mentioned something about taking a shower. I turned back to Zac and his friends. They were clustered around Zac and Joe.
"Hey Taylor!" One of Joe's friends called. "Go get us some snacks, huh? Some popcorn and drinks, and order us a pizza!" I was surprised by the boys rudeness, but went to order a pizza. When I came back, Zac, Joe and the two boys were gone. I asked Josh were they went. He shifted nervously in his seat and glanced at the other boys still left in the TV room. They giggled and shook there heads. "Josh, were did they go?" I was getting a little worried now.

"They went-" The lights flickered twice, then went out. I heard a scream from upstairs.
"Oh god" I ran in the direction of what I thought were the stairs, hitting things and tripping on the way. I ran into my room and grabbed a flashlight. "Zac! Were are you??" I yelled. No reply. "Joe!" I walked down the hall. As I passed the bathroom, someone grabbed my arm. I turned. It was one of Joe's friends.

"Um, Tay, there's been kind of an accident." I ran inside, and found Zac sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around his knees, rocking back and forth. "Zac! What happened? Are you alright?" He didn't look at me, his eyes were staring straight ahead, fixed on an unknown point. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear what he was staying. I knelt down and turned my head to him. "What is it Zac?"

"didn't mean to... just a joke.. didn't mean to... just a joke... please... don't hurt me...don't be mad"

"Shhh, Zac, it's alright. Just tell me what happened."

"didn't mean to... it was a joke.."

"We dared him to shock Ike." Joe spoke from above us. I looked up. "What?"

"We dared Zac to come in here and shock Isaac while he was in the shower."

I stood up. "You WHAT?"

"He's in there." I ran into the shower room, to find my older brother, my best friend, lying naked on the floor, hand clutched an odd looking brown package, a cord coming out of one end, the other end of the cord was plugged into the wall."No! Ike! Please, no!!" My dad walked into the room.

"Tay? What's -oh my god... Di, call an ambulence! Now!!!"

~~~

That's when it started. Ike didn't make it, the shock had electrocuted and killed him. I guess Zac just lost it after learning he had killed his own brother, on a dare. His body just went into complete shut down. He didn't eat or drink, he didn't sleep, but he never got out of bed. We took him to a psychiatrist, who said he was suffering from depression, and gave him some pills. Prozac, how ironic. But Zac wouldn't take them. We even tried to force-feed him, but he either throw them up or just refuse to swallow them. Then one day, when he didn't move, we thought he was sleeping, but when we tried to wake him up to take a pill, he didn't. So we called the hospital, they checked him out. My brother had slipped into a coma, from lack of food and water, and life. Now he was lying there, and I was so mad at him! If he hadn't wanted "fun" so much, he wouldn't of done what he did. I can't count all the times our parents have lectured us on the danger of electrical appliances. My parents were already arranging one funeral. They couldn't stand to lose Zac. He was everything to them, and to me. He took care of the younger kids when mom was tired. He was the only one my dad could still beat at pool. He was my best friend, my band mate. He was the one that cheered us up, made us laugh. Without him, my parents and I would have nothing. Nothing left. But he killed my brother! I gazed at him, he looked so small lying under those tubes. "C'mon Zac. I hate you, but we need you around. We can't lose another one. Not another one. C'mon buddy, please. We need you. We'll have nothing left.. nothing left."

  
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