Darkness. That was my world, a static and dark realm. It had been a long time since I'd been brought to this motionless reality. I could tell at least a few years had passed.
"Will he really not come back?"
I thought, still waiting for my brother's return, the only family member who had stayed by my side since the accident that put me in a coma.
Back then I thought I was important just for being good at sports. I still remember how I yelled at my mother to hurry up, fearing I'd be late for the baseball game.
But that was my condemnation, since by distracting her, she didn't notice the truck that ended up running over our car, killing her and leaving me in a coma.
My life collapsed at just 16 years old, and my only consolation since that day was my older brother, Tomas.
He was the only one who visited me every day, entertaining me with stories. He made my stay more bearable, but it had been a while since he'd come.
Was he sick? Had something happened to him? I really feared that. Though what scared me most was that he had abandoned me. That he had gotten tired of me.
The fear of being alone was greater than anything. It was my greatest fear, that they would forget me in this prison of flesh.
But in an instant my hope returned. I heard the door open and footsteps approaching me.
"Wait, is it really him?"
I wondered internally.
It's true what they say. When you lose one sense, the others become sharper. I was incapable of seeing around me, but I had developed a sense of hearing precise enough to recognize people's footsteps.
Those footsteps weren't my brother's.
"Long time no see, little brother."
I felt my body freeze in that instant. That voice had changed over time but was still unmistakable. It was my stepbrother Ethan's.
He wasn't the brother I hoped would come.
"Wow, I really don't know why I didn't come here before," he said arrogantly. "Really seeing how pathetic you've become is truly... satisfying."
I couldn't help but feel my stomach turn. If I could move at that moment, I would have punched him.
I never liked Ethan, and even though I hadn't treated him well, it didn't justify him saying something so horrible to me either.
"Sorry if I was a jerk, huh?" he let out, laughing a little. "You really deserve this. Always trying to hog all the attention, thinking you were king of the world just for having some talent. How stupid! You deserve what happened to you."
"Damn bastard! How can you say that?"
I felt my blood boil in my veins. I couldn't help but feel furious with him. How could he gloat like this over my misfortune?
"Can you really hear me?" Ethan asked with a sigh. "I hope so. The doctors said it was a possibility. That's why Tomas visited you day and night, right?"
"Of course I can hear you! You fucking sadist."
The frustration was growing. I really wanted to beat Ethan until I left him in the same state as me.
"Though if that's the case, you must have suffered. Trapped like that in your own body, unable to move even a bit. Anyone would go crazy," he mocked. "I guess Tomas was really stupid. The idiot was just prolonging your suffering. Yeah, the fool left university so he could work and pay the medical costs required to keep you alive. He even dedicated his free time to you."
"Wait, Tomas left university? He didn't tell me that..."
I was shocked. I couldn't believe my brother had sacrificed everything for me. I had really become a—
"Parasite. You're really just a parasite. No wonder our father preferred to spend his money on whores and alcohol than on you."
"This damn bastard... but he's right. I'm just a parasite."
It was true. My selfish behavior had led my family to ruin. I couldn't help but feel sadness invade me. I had never felt so pathetic.
"But hey, you should be happy now. Tomas disappeared a few weeks ago. I don't know where he went, but he stopped paying the medical expenses. I guess he finally realized it's useless to keep you alive, and dad won't pay a cent, so today you're going to be disconnected. HAHAHAHA."
Ethan's laughter filled the room. A chill ran down my spine.
"N-no, it can't be true, right?"
Fear began to spread through my body. Even if my life was hell, even if every moment was horrible... I didn't want to die.
Death terrified me. What if after death came something worse than life? Just thinking about it gave me chills.
But that wasn't all. I still wanted to live. I wanted to hear my brother's stories again. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to play baseball again... I couldn't die yet.
"You must really feel relieved. Five years of torture would have exasperated anyone."
"So five years have passed..."
Hearing how much time had passed left me in shock. That means my brother had sacrificed 5 years of his life to take care of me.
Wasn't it too selfish of me to ask for more?
"But you know," Ethan said, his voice turning shaky and manic, as if struggling to contain the emotion of the revelation he was about to make. "All of this, all your suffering, all this hell... I caused it."
"What?"
My mind went blank, collapsing at those words. I couldn't accept what my ears had heard.
Had I heard correctly?
"I mean, I wasn't at the wheel of that truck but... I paid the driver to run you over. Homeless people are very easy to convince," Ethan boasted, proud of his words.
"T-that can't be true, right?"
I couldn't accept what that boy was saying. Even if I had treated him badly, going to such extremes wasn't... human.
"At first I wanted both of you to die, and thus recover the family your mother's bitch had broken. However, I have to admit it was much more satisfying to know you ended up in that state. It was almost like poetic justice. The star athlete doomed never to move again. Hahahaha."
My heart beat hard in my chest, my stomach churned, my blood boiled. I felt an indescribable mix of rage and disgust.
But I couldn't do anything... My body didn't respond. I couldn't move. I couldn't get revenge.
Then, the room door opened again. More footsteps echoed in the room.
"Alright, let's do this quickly," a rough voice said.
I recognized it instantly. It was my father. Hearing him, I felt some hope. Maybe he would realize what had happened. Maybe he would give Ethan what he deserved.
"Are you sure you want to do this, sir?" a nurse asked, with some sadness in her voice.
"What? No, dad! Don't disconnect me! Don't let me die! It was Ethan! He's the one responsible for everything!"
I felt my heart shrink. Was he really going to abandon me? Was he really going to let me die?
I began to remember the moments we spent together, how proud he felt of me when I played baseball.
"Yes, this family won't spend one more cent on this parasite. I've already signed all those stupid papers, so don't waste my time," my father ordered furiously.
I was incredulous.
Was that really my father? Why was he abandoning me now? Why was he letting me die?
"I really was an idiot..."
The only one who had come to visit me was my brother. My father never came to see me. In his eyes I lost all value the day of that accident.
Deep down I knew it... But I didn't want to accept it.
"Alright, then I'll proceed to disconnect him," the nurse responded coldly.
My body froze. I was really going to die.
"No... No! Please! I don't want to die! I don't want to go! Dad! Brother! Please!"
I tried to scream. I desperately tried to move my body, to let them know I was conscious.
But my body didn't respond. I didn't move an inch. I couldn't do anything.
I felt fear, hatred, desperation... but in the end, I wasn't heard.
The void I was in became deeper and my kingdom of darkness fell silent.