I was in my room, doing anything but my homework when I heard the doorbell ring. Of course, I didn't expect my dad to answer, Cam was still deployed, and my mom has been AWOL since last year, so I shut my laptop and went downstairs to answer the door.

As I made my way towards the front door, I passed my dad in the living room. He was passed out on the couch, an empty bottle of Jack Daniels laying on it's side on top of the coffee table. I made a mental note to be as quiet as possible going back upstairs; my dad is…he's scary when he's drunk.

I opened the door, revealing two men, both in uniform.

No.

It could only mean one thing. These men, the uniforms.

No. No. Cam…

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Lahey."

At first it felt fake, like a joke. I refused to believe that my brother was gone. Then reality set in, and with it came the panic, the pain, and the grief.

"No." I stammered. "He's not—he can't—"

"I'm sorry."

My head was exploding. I had been hit by one thousand trucks. The house was collapsing on top of me. I was being held underwater, just close enough to see beyond the surface. Sobs racked through my body. I fell against the doorframe, my knees unable to bear my weight any longer. I held my trembling hands out in front of me, as if I was trying to stop anymore words from coming out of this man's mouth and destroying me.

"Wh—what happened?" I looked up at the man, though all I could see was a blurred out silhouette against the darkening sky. "What happened? What happened to my brother?" I felt my voice get louder and louder, but I couldn't hear anything. I must have been screaming by now. "What happened to him? Where's my brother? Where's Camden?" His name felt like poison on my tongue, burning holes and choking me.

"His cruiser was hit by a road-side bomb. He, along with four other men were killed upon impact." The man paused, looking behind him at the soldier who was carrying the folded flag. "The body was never recovered. I'm sorry."

"No. No, please, no. Oh god, no." I couldn't breathe. There's a 10-ton weight sitting on top of my chest. The air won't come in or go back out. I couldn't feel my finger tips. They were numb, nothing. And so was the rest of me. In that moment, I became nothing. I was no one.

The soldier stepped forward and held out the flag. I don't know how, but I managed to take it without dropping it. I thanked them and closed the door. When I turned around, my dad was standing in the hallway, the empty bottle held tight in his right hand.

"Who the hell was that?" He demanded. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was dry. I couldn't say anything. "Well?" he asked a bit louder. I tried again, but again, nothing. His eyes travelled down to my hands, clutching the flag tight, afraid I might drop it. His eyes widened in realization. Pain flashed through his eyes like a lightning strike, only to be replaced seconds later by something entirely different.

Anger.

"Isaac…" a wild, animalistic fire set ablaze in his eyes. "What did you do?" My dad bellowed.

He raised his hand and before I realized what was happening, the Jack Daniels bottle was being hurled at me. It was happening so fast, and I felt like I had no control over my body. I was numb. I was nothing. The bottle hit my left shoulder and then fell to the ground. It shattered, millions of tiny pieces of glass exploded on the wood floor.

Searing pain exploded in my shoulder. I could already feel the bruise forming, bubbling under the surface of my skin.

"Dad, wait, no…please!" I cried, begging for him to just listen to me. He came at me like a freight train, picking me up underneath my bruised shoulder and dragging me towards the basement.

My shoulder was on fire, I was sure of it. The stairs leading down to the basement hit me one-by-one as my dad threw me headfirst down into the darkness.

"Please. Don't do this. I don't want to go in there—please just listen to me! Stop, Dad, I'll be good. I'll be good. I'll be good, I promise." I pleaded, my voice sounding desperate even to me.

"Isaac, you know I don't want to do this. But you have to be punished. Those are the rules so I can't…stop." He spit the last word at me through clenched teeth. His eyes shined with hunger, with anger, and with joy. It almost made him look insane.

He lifted me into the freezer, and my world exploded before me. Camden was gone. Dad blamed me. Mom was god-knows-where and probably dead as well. I was completely and utterly alone. I had always been alone, I was just too stupid to see it until now.

The freezer lid slammed shut. The chains rattled outside as my dad locked me in. It was dark…so dark.

And I was alone.

More story to come, more characters to come. Keep reading!