Arriving at the chief's office, I entered it. There, I found out that the person behind everything that happened so far was my father. Before he could explain himself further, I got shot in the stomach from behind.
Due to getting shot, I fell on the floor. Thinking about it, this was definitely worse than getting shot in the arm. I was rapidly losing blood, and I started feeling worse by the minute.
Looking at the bright side though, I found out that my brother, Akira, is doing fine and he wasn't in any danger. I could hear screams in the distance. It was probably my dad screaming at the guy who shot me, but that didn't matter to me anymore.
This was the second time I almost stood at death's door. Well, I don't feel like I'll be able to make it out alive this time though.
You know what they always say happens before dying? You see your life flashing before your eyes. This was something I was currently experiencing.Memories started flashing before me. Memories that I have long forgotten. It must have been when I was a baby, but I could see my mom smiling, holding me in her arms. To her right, was my father, who looked different from the present one. He had an expression a bit softer than he currently had.
To her right, was my sister, Arisu. Since she is five years older than me, she was probably five. She was happily looking down at me, presumably because she was happy to have a younger brother. She asked my mom something, before she gave her the go-ahead. She curiously held my hand. Since she didn't want to hurt me, she was very careful.
Three years and a few months later, when I was about four years old, my mom gave birth to Akira, our younger brother. Even as a baby, he often cried. In my memories, I could see Arisu trying to calm him down, before succeeding.
Looking back on it, we must have been a really cheerful family. However, everything changed when I was eight years old. That was the time when my mom started feeling sick. At the time, me and Arisu didn't know what was going on, and my brother Akira, was too young to understand it.
I remember my mom and father going to the doctor to get an analysis. They left us kids at home alone, and we anxiously waited for them to come back. When they did however, my mother looked sad, and my father looked heart-broken. They didn't want us to worry, so they tried to down-play the situation, however we were still worried.
My mom started taking pills that would supposedly help with the symptoms, however she never got healthy again. Instead, her condition started getting worse. It got to the point where she didn't have any more strength in her body. She went to a surgery that had a low chance of success, but unfortunately it failed. Not long after, she passed away.
After that, our household was never the same. Our dad, who was sometimes cheerful, became an even more negative person, and as time passed, he came home less often. The last time we saw him before I did today, was like three years ago, when he suddenly said he had to go overseas for work. He did, in fact, send us money to buy groceries, clothes or anything else we needed and paid the bills.
The passing of our mother affected Arisu too, just like the rest of us. She felt like she had to be the 'head' of the house, as she was the older one. She started to learn how to cook, took care of the laundry, cleaning (I also helped), took care of Akira, all while she was still in high school. She was always there for us, and I'm happy she came to terms with everything.
And as for Akira, he couldn't understand where his mother disappeared. He was four years old after all when it happened. He eventually learned the truth when he was older, but he also had a pretty rough childhood.
It was in the second grade when it happened. He started getting picked on by his classmates at the time, when they found out our mother had passed away. It eventually ended in a fight, parents getting called to the principal's office and so on. Of course, we weren't aware of what was going on at school. Arisu did in fact, go to the principal's office and dealt with the parents. In the end, he didn't get reprimanded by her, but comforted instead.
But that incident probably left an emotional scar on Akira, since he eventually started going out less, and instead took refuge on the internet. Playing games, watching videos and so on.
What about me? Well... It was tough. Although there was no bullying involved as with Akira, I couldn't accept it. Why did she have to die? She was one of the kindest people I have ever met, and didn't deserve it.
After the most important moments of my life flashed in front of me, my attention returned to my surroundings. My father has stopped his shouting match with the guy who shot me, and was currently on the phone. When he noticed me looking at him, he came to my side.
"Arata! You're still alive. Don't worry, help is---"
As my father was talking to me, his speaking suddenly cut off. I could feel that my end was nearing. Having lost a ton of blood, my body was feeling the consequences. I didn't have any power left in my body, and my senses were fading.
Before my consciousness faded, I could see a dream. A dream with me, Akira and Arisu, where we are sitting in the living room, cheerfully talking to each other, as we were eating. There was an occasional snarky comment, but that was how we siblings rolled.
Arisu, Akira… I'm sorry.