Prologue

« Don’t open your eyes »

These few little words are what my elder brother kept repeating to me on this horrific day.

Mother was already gone and Father had been fighting for a while already. Desperately trying to apease me, Amir kept singing the same song he had been singing for the last ten minutes. I could feel my brother’s clothes getting warmer and heavier and his breathing running shorter. The more time passed, the quieter the house got and heavier the silence was. Then, our turn came.

Quiet but heavy footsteps stood infront of our room. I prayed, i prayed, and i prayed again as i kept my eyes closed like my older brother ordered me to. I pushed my palms agaisnt my ears so hard that my nails pierced my skin but i still couldn’t help but repeat « What did we do to deserve this? »

As the door opened my brother went into a furry

« Zahid! Keep your eyes closed! »

« Zahid! I love you »

« Zahid! I will protect you»

« Zahid! »

The silence afterwards was the worst part.

Before i knew it, i was spilling just as much as Amir and went into deep sleep soon after.