DxC: It Ends Tonight

It Ends Tonight


This is my one part D&C story, enjoy!

"The walls start breathing, My mind's unweaving, Maybe it's best you leave me alone."

It’s five days until that time of the year again, the time I hate, the time when I’m even more depressed and sad then I already am while everyone else is happy, cheerful, giving and all that other shit I have no interest in ever since the tragedy. Out of all three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, why must the tragedy have to happen on Christmas? Why must it have happened in the first place?

I remember that terrible night three hundred and sixty days ago. I kissed my delinquent punk boyfriend under the mistletoe good night before heading into the family car after my family’s Christmas dinner with my boyfriend’s family. My parents didn’t all that approve of my relationship with a boy that’s been to juvenile detention centres more than I had birthdays, but I love him, and he loves me, and fortunately for me, my parents believed in the ‘Love at first sight’ thing so they allowed me to date him. My dad was driving my mom, my two year older sister and myself home from the dinner as we kept talking about that Christmas day and how my sister and I got the exact gifts we asked for. My sister and I were sitting at the back of the car with my mom in the passenger seat. Everything was going so well, I was extremely happy and I thought nothing could change my emotion, but I was wrong. I don’t remember what happened exactly, but the next thing I knew the car was flipping over 360° a couple of times and there was screaming before everything went black.

I didn’t know how long I was unconscious before I woke up, but it was a pretty long time. I took of my seatbelt as I noticed both of my hands were covered in blood and my left forearm hurt like hell. I was positive at that moment I broke my arm, but it didn’t bother me as much as the next few things I realized. I looked around me and noticed all the glass from the windows was smashed, and the windshield glass was completely shattered. The cold winter wind and snow blew through the car and onto my face as I went up to my sister and shook her attempting to wake her up. There was no response so I turned her body around so she was facing me as blood rushed out of her head into my hands. I screamed because I knew she was dead. There was no way a human being could survive that head injury, especially with all the blood that has been lost from her body. I started to panic as I screamed my parents’ names praying they were still alive and only injured. But there was no response. I managed to get my door open as I got out of the car and opened the door next to where my mom was. Her head was rested on the airbag above the glove compartment as I noticed the airbag that’s supposed to be white was red. The whole airbag was covered in my mother’s blood, my eyes widened in horror as I looked at my father in the driver’s seat. He was in the same position as my mom. I screamed at the top of my lungs with horror. I then grabbed my cell phone from my jean pocket and stared at it hoping it was still working, and it was. There was just a crack on the display screen but the phone worked fine. I punched in 911 with my bloody fingers and tears started to run down my cheeks as I told the lady on the other line that I needed ambulance ASAP.


Nearly one year after the tragedy, I’m still as sad and depressed as I was when the doctors confirmed my family’s deaths. I was the only survivor, I don’t know how or why I survived but I did. And I hate it. They were the only family I had. I never knew my aunts and uncles and my grandparents passed away rather before I was born or before I even entered kindergarten.  I’m left alone in this cruel world people call home with all my parents’ wills and belongings. Everything my family owned became mine because I was already twenty at the time of the tragedy. The house, my sister’s car, my parents’ money, everything they owned became mine. If it wasn’t for my boyfriend, Duncan, I would have committed suicide a while ago. He’s the only person left in this world that keeps my sane. Even after everything’s that has happened this past year he still loves me and I love him. Though we haven’t kissed each other since last Christmas night, he still tells me every time we see each other that he loves me.

  Now it’s exactly five days until Christmas again. Five days until the one year mark of the tragedy. I’ve almost survived one year of emotional pain and sadness. How I’ve ever changed since then. Before December 25th last year, I was a happy and smart twenty year old girl who just finished university. I had shoulder length chocolate brown hair, fairly tanned skin and a smile that would make anyone’s day. After that terrible night I’d lost interest in everything I once loved, everything but Duncan. I no longer cared about my looks, my career or my friends. My hair has grown out and now it reaches the end of my ribcage as I haven’t gotten a haircut in a year, I got fired from my secretary career as I never paid attention to any clients on the phone and all my friends became strangers. At first they were supportive and always with me but I’ve been ignoring them and now they wouldn’t even recognize me on the streets if we bumped into each other one day. Duncan is the only person that still treats me like nothing has ever happened even when I don’t treat him the same. The closest we ever get to each other anymore is when sometimes at night when I really need someone beside me I call Duncan over and I would cuddle with him on my bed and cry as he would brush my hair and try to comfort me. He still looks the same as I first met him five years ago. He still has that green mohawk, the black hair, piercings, the deep but gorgeous blue eyes and the goatee. He was a completely bad-ass but he has a good heart. That’s why I fell for him.

“Courtney...” I turned around at my name and saw Duncan coming out of my kitchen with the cup of coffee I asked him to make for me “Here you go” He said while giving me the mug.

“Thanks” I simply replied as I took a sip of coffee from the mug before I sighed at the design on the mug. It’s the same mug as the one I made in summer camp when I was nine. On the mug I painted everyone in my family, though my painting sucks, I’ve always have loved this mug, but now I’m getting sick of it.

I placed the mug on the breakfast table as I stared at the ground. Everything was silent for a long minute before Duncan spoke.

“You okay?” He asked me and I nodded even though I wasn’t sure if I was okay.

He then wrapped his arms around me giving me a hug as I wrapped my arms around his waist. “It’s going to be okay, Court”

“I know” I said quietly

“Try cheering up okay? It’s almost Christmas”

Tears quickly formed in my eyes as I pulled myself away from him before I spoke in a loud voice “Cheer up? Cheer up??? How can I cheer up? My family died in a stupid accident last Christmas!! I’m and orphan now dammit!! How the hell can I cheer up?? I have no frikin family!!” I marched myself into my living room and fell into my couch as I cried.

He came by my side while I continued crying, not caring that Duncan’s right there.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to upset you”

“I’m n-not mad at you” I said “I just really hate Christmas”

“Everything’s going to work out fine” He told me in a comforting voice “I promise”

~~

Nine hours until the official one year mark of the tragedy. It’s one I the afternoon on Christmas day. Duncan is going to be here any minute now. Can this day just speed up? It has already felt like forever.

“Hey” He greeted me when he arrived at my house.

“Hi” I replied as I let him in and saw him take off his jacket and hang it in the closest. I took his hand in mine when he closed the closest door as we walked to my living room.

“How are you doing?” He asked me

“Okay I guess”

“That’s good...cause I got you something” Duncan then gave me a large gift box.

“Duncan...I already told you I don’t want any gifts”

“Just this one please?” He asked me.

I sighed as I took off the cover of the large gift box. Inside contained an identical gift box as the first one only smaller. “I’m not here to play games Duncan”

“It’s not a game...just keep opening the boxes”

“There’s more boxes?” I asked.

“Just open the boxes”

I continued opening the boxes and finally after about five boxes there was one really small gift box identical to all the other ones I opened. I opened the small one left as my eyes widened at the gift inside the final box.

Inside the final box contained a ring, a silver engagement ring gently placed on top layers of red tissue paper.

“Marry me?” Duncan asked me.

I stood there motionless, staring at the ring for a long moment before I looked back at him with tears in my eyes. I then wrapped my arms around his neck as my tears of joy came running down my cheek.

“Yes...yes” I managed to say as I cried. I felt Duncan’s grip around me tighten as he hugged me back.

After a few minutes we pulled away from each other as Duncan took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto my left ring finger. I stared at the beautiful diamond ring for a moment as a tear fell from my eyes. I have a family now; I’m no longer alone in this cruel world. Duncan brought back the light in my darkness. I then looked at my fiancé again as he smiled at me and I gave him a kiss. Our first kiss in a year. My pain and suffering has ended tonight.

The End