Sandra was sitting, her body weak and trembling, her face pale like all the strength had been drained out of her. She looked fragile, almost lifeless. Zaviel sat beside her, quietly dipping a cloth into a bowl of water, his hands careful but tense as he gently cleaned her skin, his eyes constantly watching her as if afraid she might slip away at any moment. The silence around them felt heavy, suffocating, filled with unspoken fear.
Footsteps approached.
Zino stepped in, holding a nylon bag, but the moment his eyes fell on Sandra, his expression changed. The slight hope on his face faded into worry.
"How is she?" he asked, his voice low, almost afraid of the answer.
Zaviel didn't look at him immediately. His jaw tightened slightly before he replied, "Just getting worse."
Zino let out a slow, heavy sigh, the kind that carried guilt and helplessness. "I brought some food," he said, handing the bag over.
"Thanks, bro," Zaviel replied, forcing a faint nod as he opened it. He glanced at Sandra again, his eyes softening with concern. "It's time to eat, Sandra," he said gently.
"Hmm…" she responded weakly, her voice barely there.
Zaviel shifted closer.
"Come on, it's time to eat," he urged, lifting the food toward her lips, but she didn't move.
"Come on, Sandra… you need to eat," he insisted, his voice firmer now, but still careful.
"I don't feel like it," she whispered, her voice tired and distant.
"Please, you need to eat something," he said, leaning closer, his tone almost pleading.
"No… I don't feel like it," she repeated, her eyes half-closed.
Zaviel paused. His hand slowly lowered as he exchanged a worried glance with Zino. The fear in his eyes was clear now.
"She needs to eat," he said quietly.
"I know," Zino replied softly, his voice weighed down with concern. "Just… try to make her take something. Even if it's small."
Zaviel swallowed hard and looked back at her.
"Please, sis… don't do this. Just have something," Zino added, his tone gentler now, almost breaking.
There was a long pause. Sandra's breathing was uneven, like even responding was taking effort.
"…Alright," she finally said.
Relief flickered across both their faces.
"Leave it to me," Zino said, trying to sound steady
Zaviel began feeding her slowly, carefully, watching every movement as if afraid something would go wrong.
"It doesn't taste bad, see?" he said softly, trying to reassure her. "Now have another"
Before he could finish, Sandra suddenly stiffened.
Her hand shot to her lower abdomen, her fingers gripping tightly as her face twisted in pain.
"Ahh! It hurts!" she screamed, her voice sharp and filled with agony.
Zaviel froze for a split second before panic took over. "What happened?" he asked quickly, grabbing her as her body shook.
"It hurts!" she cried again, curling slightly.
"Get some water!" Zaviel shouted, his voice urgent.
Zino didn't hesitate. He rushed out and returned almost immediately, breathless, handing over the bottle. "Here, bro!"
Zaviel took it quickly. "Sandra, drink" he said, trying to steady her, but she was already crying out louder, her pain increasing.
Then Zino's voice broke, trembling. "Bro… she's bleeding."
Zaviel's heart dropped. "What?!" he exclaimed, his eyes snapping downward and then he saw it.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
"Oh God…" his voice shook. "Sandra, please drink something," he said, desperation creeping in.
"I… I'm not going to survive this…" she whispered, her voice breaking, fear evident in her eyes.
"No," Zaviel said immediately, shaking his head, his grip tightening on her. "Don't say that."
"It hurts…" she cried again, her body trembling.
"You're going to make it," Zino said, though his own voice wasn't steady.
"Drink… please," Zaviel urged, bringing the bottle to her lips.
She took a little, her breathing shaky, and slowly leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder like she had no strength left to hold herself up.
"It hurts, bro… it hurts…" she whispered again, weaker this time.
"I know," Zaviel replied softly, his voice filled with helplessness. "I know…"
He looked up at Zino, his eyes serious now. "Get me a bowl of water and a towel."
"Alright, bro," Zino said quickly and rushed off.
When he returned, Zaviel took the towel, dipped it into the water, and squeezed it slowly. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as if preparing himself for what he had to do. Then, gently, carefully, he began cleaning her, his hands steady, even though his heart was racing.
Later that night, they sat outside in front of a small campfire. The flames flickered softly, casting shadows across their faces. The night was quiet, but not peaceful the silence carried everything they had been through.
Sandra rested her head on Zaviel's shoulder, her eyes fixed on the fire, though it was clear her mind was far away. Zaviel sat still, careful not to disturb her, his gaze occasionally drifting to her face, checking if she was okay. Zino approached and sat beside them, the weight of everything still lingering on him.
"Enjoying the campfire, aren't you?" Zino said, trying to lighten the mood, but his voice lacked its usual energy.
"Yeah… the stars are beautiful, aren't they?" Zaviel replied quietly, looking up for a moment.
"Sure…" Zino said, but his eyes remained on the fire. He took a deep breath. "Let's share our experience."
"Experience?" Zaviel asked.
"Yeah… we'll share ours first, bro how we got here," Zino said.
"Alright," Zaviel replied.
Zino stared into the fire, his voice growing heavier. "It all happened after school hours. We were supposed to go back home as normal… but that day, we didn't. We decided to follow some friends out."
At school, Zino was removing some books from his locker. "Ah, finally done with that history class," he said.
"Yeah, I'm not sure I learned anything from that class," Zaviel replied.
"Swears, bro," Zino said, and they both laughed.
Raphel and Licon approached them.
"Hey, guys," Raphel said.
"Hey bro, what's going on?" Zaviel asked.
"Party!" Licon said.
"Party?" Zaviel and Zino said in unison.
"Yeah, it's going to be fun, lots of activities, drinks and so much," Raphel said.
"Wow, that's nice," Zaviel said.
"And you're both invited," Licon added.
"Well, thank you, but my bro and I aren't really interested," Zaviel said, but Zino quickly hit him lightly to stop him.
"What's up, bro?" Zaviel asked.
"Can I see you for a second? We'll be right back, guys," Zino said as they stepped aside.
"Why are you refusing the invite?" he asked.
"I don't get it do you want me to accept it now?" Zaviel said.
"Yeah."
"Are you serious?" Zaviel asked.
"Yeah, come on bro, it's just a party," Zino said.
"But Mum" Zaviel started.
"Don't worry, Mum won't know. We'll leave after school. We won't spend much time just a bit of fun. Please," he urged.
Zaviel looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Alright."
"Oh! Thank you, bro," Zino said, hugging him.
"You're welcome," Zaviel replied, and they returned.
"We're back," Zino said.
"Alright," Raphel responded.
"We'll be attending the party," Zino added.
"That's a good decision. See you there by 5pm," Raphel said.
"Alright, catch you later then," Zaviel said with a deep sigh. "Hope we made the right decision."
"Sure, we did," Zino replied.
At the party, it turned out to be more like a club—loud music, strippers dancing, some people drinking heavily, and others using cocaine.
"Wow, this is amazing," Zino said as they walked in, while Zaviel was clearly uncomfortable.
"I think we should go back," Zaviel said.
"Come on, bro, we've made it this far, let's not turn back now. It's going to be great," Zino replied.
Raphel approached them with a glass of drink.
"Welcome, guys," he said.
"Oh, this party is amazing!" Zino said.
"Told you it'd be nice. Come on, let's grab some drinks," Raphel said.
"Drink? You mean alcohol?" Zaviel asked.
"Yeah," Raphel replied.
"No, we don't drink that," Zaviel said.
"Come on, bro!" Zino insisted.
"But we don't—"
"It won't kill you! Just try something new, please," Zino said.
"Let's go," Raphel said, leading them to the bar. "Two shots."
"Come on, boys, take a shot," he said.
Zino took a shot and shivered. "Woah! That's so great," he said, laughing.
"Told you," Raphel said.
Zaviel watched them.
"Come on bro, your turn," Zino said.
"I don't think I'm going to—"
"Come on, it won't cause harm. I'm fine, right Raphel?"
"Yeah, yeah," Raphel said.
"Come on, Zaviel… you're the older one," he added.
"Fine, I'll take it," Zaviel said.
"Thanks, bro," Zino replied.
Zaviel took the shot. "Not so bad," he said.
"Woah!" Zino shouted, and they laughed.
"Bring some more!" Raphel called.
"Yeah!" Zino echoed.
They drank until they were drunk, dancing wildly and misbehaving. Later, they went to the toilet.
"Woah! What a night!" Zino said.
"Yeah, you were right, bro," Zaviel replied.
"You guys enjoyed yourselves, didn't you?" Raphel asked.
"Yeah," Zaviel said.
"That's nice… now you're going to enjoy a greater amount of fun," he said.
Three men dressed in black walked in.
"What's going on?" Zaviel asked.
"Hush, little one… great fun awaits you," one of them said.
A handkerchief was pressed over their faces.
Everything went dark.
Back in the present, Zino sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, bro… I should have listened to you. We probably wouldn't have been in this mess."
"It's okay," Zaviel said quietly. "I should have acted as the elder brother."
Sandra slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with pain beyond the physical.
"I mocked God…" she said softly.
They both turned to her.
"I came home late… my mum was angry… we argued… and I said I didn't need God," her voice trembled. "I said I could survive on my own… I mocked Him…"
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Will He ever forgive me?" she asked.
Zino leaned closer. "Of course, He will," he said gently.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us."
"We're His children," Zaviel added.
"He loves us."
"He wants us back," Zino said.
"…Then let's pray," he added.
"Father, we come before You with a repentant heart. Please forgive her and renew her mind. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Later that night, Sandra lay asleep when she suddenly felt uneasy… like someone was watching her.
Slowly, she opened her eyes
And froze.
David stood in front of her.
"Hi there," he said.
Sandra gasped.
"What's happening, sis?" Zino asked sleepily, turning then froze.
"Bro…" his voice trembled.
"What's going on?" Zaviel asked as he woke up then saw him.
"Oh… shit."