‘Slam!’ went the backdoors of the empty warehouse I was exiting. A company left it out years ago when their business slowly started folding.

Now, it wasn’t empty. Hundreds of streetdancers were showing off their skills. Lights located high above the ceiling were bouncing from different directions and the shrieking music was blaring from the huge speakers in the four corners of the “stage”. I struggled passing through continuous waves of people furiously excited about the dance battle that night. I could have stopped the whole thing and arrested the person in charge. It was illegal. But I didn’t. I had my own delinquent securely handcuffed to me.

“Sis, how did you find me?” my young immature brother Kai asked, shouting in frustration. I didn’t reply. He tried wriggling his hand free of my hold but failed. Dragging him away from the crowd, the lights from the warehouse slowly disappeared as we got further and further away. As soon as we made it to the vehicle, I hauled my brother inside the passenger seat.

“How many times have I told you to stop going there?” I told him angrily. I stared at his brown eyes, so full of determination and confidence, the things I hated the most for not having them. I quickly released my stare and took the handcuffs from my belt. I grabbed his right hand and forced it into the handcuffs until its soft click signalled that it was already locked. My brother gawked at me in disbelief. 

“What are you doing!?” the shock was clear on his face. Again, I didn’t reply. I slammed the passenger door and walked towards the driver’s seat. Feeling a bit secured, I got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. I saw him with my peripheral eye as he violently fought with the handcuffs, squirming in his seat expecting the impossible to happen. I elbowed him. My nerves were alive with irritation.

We argued the whole way until we reached the bridge. I had no inkling of what would happen next. I believed it occurred for a minute more or less. Our argument had escalated and we started shouting at each other. I kept on looking in his direction and my attention wasn’t able to focus on the road ahead.

All of a sudden, a searing light flooded my face. A raucous siren-like screech brashly abused my ears. The last thing I heard was Kai shouting, shouting not because of our argument but in fear. Then, all became black.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my front on the cold winter ground. Something was burning, gas, and burnt tyres. I tried to lift my head up; my body was aching all over. I heard a distant voice, shouting my name. I strained to open my eyes. They were bleeding. Wait a second, blood in my eyes? My God! This was serious. Suddenly, I remembered my brother. He was cuffed to a handle above the window.

I tried to shout, “Kai!” I was so terrified; I didn’t know what to do. 

Finally, I found the strength to open my eyes, and there, I saw him with his big brown eyes, staring at me in panic. He was crying, screaming my name out loud, “Sis!”, then I saw it. The van had fallen half way over the side of the bridge. He was still locked in. Desperately crawling towards him, I hoped I could save him in time. But I was so slow. I felt fury at my inability. Tears started flowing down my face. I was barely gasping for breath. The van started wobbling, moving towards the side where it would drop any moment. I saw Kai frantically trying to kick off the handcuffs but to no avail.

All of a sudden, what I’ve expected happened. It felt like a slow motion. The police van, along with my brother, Kai, dropped over the side of the bridge smashing into the road below.

I heard Kai’s last word, “Sis!!!”. My heart stopped as I waited for the sound of the crash.

*Boom!!!!! *

 The explosion hit me like an anvil in my face as I whispered my final word,  “Kai........”