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Standing water would be the first huge problem that farms would face as the night went on, for the Littrell’s however, the thought that anything could’ve and probably did happen to Brian was forefront, before whatever else was in danger.

By two-thirty am, many visitors had left, leaving only a few close family members and friends to stay behind with Harold and Jackie. Jackie was sitting at the kitchen table watching as her husband paced the floors; his drenched clothes were damp now as he stared out the window, watching as the winds picked up again.

“Jackie” Anne walked in, her son, Kevin was beside her “Do you want something to eat, can I get you some tea?” she asked.

It was going to be a long night, Jackie looked down, finally loosing control, “I shouldn’t have let him go I knew something like this was going to happen.” She said “Oh God why did I let him go” she pushed back her chair and sat on the floor, she was hyperventilating, she couldn’t breathe.

‘Dear God” Anne said, Harold turned from his gaze bending down scooping her up in his arms, laying back against his knee.

“I can’t, I can’t” she choked “I can’t breath”.

“Breathe slowly” her husband looked down at her, caressing her cheek, breathing slowly with her. Tears spilled down her face, as she choked.

“I want my son.” She cried.

“I know, I know” her husband whispered, slipping his hands under her legs and under her arms around her waist, standing up.

She choked tears down again wanting to see the window, as her husband repositioned her, he took her out of the kitchen, and up the stairs “I want to be down here, I don’t, BRIAN!!!” she screamed, Harold walked into their bedroom, laying her on the bed. “Oh dear God” she covered her face with her hands, while her husband took of his wet clothes “My Baby” she bawled.

Harold walked back over to the bed with fresh clothes on, sitting beside her “They’ll find him” he whispered.

…


It was mid morning when he felt the sun on his face, his jaw was bruised, and his arms felt like rubber, he couldn’t move, he was pinned, as he felt tears come to his eyes, he tried to feel his face with his one hand, they were bleeding, everything around his face was bleeding. It was frightening how everything seemed different, he had never seen this place he was, he didn’t remember coming here, he couldn’t remember anything past when he woke up.

“Help” he whimpered, he could process that much, he was in trouble, he couldn’t move. As he tried to move the rock that had fallen on his leg, he smelled a pungent aroma, like that of urine, trying to see down below him, there was nothing but dirt, and rock. He put his small hand against the rock again and tried to push, but it did nothing except dig the edges deep into his skin “Owwwh” he cried, the throbbing and numbing pain was reaching every vessel of his body. “Help me” he cried, his throat was dry, and his small voice was hoarse. “Someone” he whispered, he was frightened, he didn’t know what was going on, but from all the natural signals he was getting from his brain, this wasn’t where he wanted to be.

…

Jackie woke up fast, the small bluebirds were chirping in the window. She rubbed her face enjoying the morning, before everything flooded back to her, her son was missing, she got out of bed and ran down the stairs, seeing her husband, outside talking with the police “Did they find him?” he asked, her husband walked up to her, guiding her back inside the door.

“They’re still looking” he replied “All the crops have been washed out, there are fires over by the Huntley’s, and there’ve been mudslides.”

“Where’s my son, Where’s Brian” she asked again looking both at the officer, who was getting farther and father away, and her husband.

“I’m taking the horse out again right now, they brought a helicopter out this morning to see if they could spot anything from the air.” Harold said guiding her towards the sofa sitting her down “Jackie look at me” he said pulling her chin, “Anne is coming over to take you with her, you and –“

“No,” she whispered, ‘no, I want to be here.”

“Anne will take you and Baker back to the farm –“

“Harold, he’s my son, I want to be here.”

Harold looked down at the floor, and then over at his wife again, “Jackie, they’re guessing he didn’t survive the night, we’re looking for a body now.” He said looking at her, she shook her head refusing to believe it.

“No, no, no… no” she looked at him, he ran his hand over his face sighing “Harold, no. No, God NO!” she whispered.

“They’ve gone over the whole area, there’s no way he could’ve made it across the creek, he’s nowhere near Ian’s, and he’s not –“

She started to hyperventilate again “I want my son” she cried, her hands trembling, and her shoulders shaking. Harold nodded pulling her in.

“We’re still looking” he mumbled, Anne walked inside the room.

“No,” she watched Anne come closer “No, no Harold I want to stay here. I want to be here” she whimpered, watching as her husband stood up. She stood up too grabbing his face ‘I want to stay here. I want to see my son come through that door. Dead or alive” she yelled, punching at his chest. Clawing it at him.

He held her close while finally she stopped, “please, you stay, I stay.” She whispered finally gaining control of her breathing.

“I can’t watch you.” He whispered into her ear “and the baby” he added, softly caressing her cheek.

“Please, honey I need to be here. I can’t leave, you know that.” she whispered back.

“Anne can you stay here for a few hours?” he asked, Anne nodded, coming towards them, she sat down on the couch. Harold helped his wife sit as well.

“I love you” she whispered, letting her hands slip from the grasp she had on the collar of his shirt.

He kissed her gently mouthing his words, before he let her down on the couth so he could continue with the search.

…

The first sound of voices were faint, but he could hear them, echoing through the small cavern “Help” he cried, but his voice was to worn out, “Somebody please!” he whimpered.

No one came, it was to dark to see where the entrance was, he must’ve traveled a ways back, but he couldn’t tell how far. He coughed; the air inside was clogging his lungs as he tried to breath.

“Please!” he started to cry again, then sneezed feeling the dust cover his lips and his mouth “help me” he mumbled, closing his mouth.

…


“Harold how long have you been out here?” Dirk asked watching Harold slide of his horse, making his way through the thicket, searching for any sign of his son inside the small rocks, perhaps he found his way inside a small crevice.

“Three” he replied, the holes he found were all to small, even for Brian’s tiny body, his hope was dissipating again.

“Three this afternoon or –“ Dirk asked.

“This morning” Harold replied coughing, rubbing his eyes looking up at Dirk “I’m not stopping.” He replied, “if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, but I suggest you let the police do their job, you’re outshining them.” He smiled, “They canine police are good at sniffing human’s out you know.” Dirk said with a gentle smile.

“You think those dogs are going to find something, this whole countryside’s been in a mudslide, I can’t step two feet without sinking into this shit, and they’re supposed to find a trail?”

“They’re trained to track Harold, let us do our job.” Dirk said looking at him “You could use a few hours of rest.”

“Dirk” Harold stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants “Look at me, do you think you’re going to get me to go back to that house empty handed?”

“I think you’d be dragging all of this ground behind you before you go, but your sake and your son’s please. We have more men than we need, we’ll need you later on, when the search starts to slow down.”

Harold eyed the officer “This isn’t slowing down, because damnit we better find him before then.” Harold stormed off, Getting back onto the horse pulling him around, to head towards another part of the ridge.

…


“Tonight, we have some breaking news to share, in the middle of one of the brutalizing storms a child went missing. Young eight year old, Brian Littrell disappeared earlier Saturday evening while playing in the field with his two friends and his brother.” Anna walked towards the television to turn it off but Jackie begged her not to. They watched as pictures of her small son flashed across the screen.

“… Well Angie, both parents have yet to make a statement to us, it seems they are too busy searching for their son, and rightly so. But we did catch deputy Dirk Edger who had a couple of words to share.”

“This is a nightmare of sorts for all of us our here, we’ve been out all night long amongst thunder and lightning, we’re lucky we haven’t lost any of our men, but now that it’s daylight it’s been a lot easier to search around. I know the Littrell’s barely feeling the wake of this event, but we do need all the help we can get, so they don’t have to suffer anymore.”

“what do you think happened?” the lady asked placing the mic back in Dirk’s face.

“With whether conditions being as they were, it could be anything. Brian was last seen around two-forty-five when he was playing hide and seek with his Brother, and their two friends. The boys searched by themselves for a few hours, -“

“Where do you think things went wrong?” the lady asked shoving in her question, Dirk looked at her squarely.

“We’re not looking to place blame on anyone, we just want to find Brian, the boys were playing hide-and-seek when he went missing, all we can go from is what we’ve got now, and faith.”

“Could he honestly have survived a storm like this? The winds they say were up to at least 80 mph, and the thunder struck down in numerous places.”

“Miracles happen every day.” Dirk said smiling “I just hope today is Brian’s” he said.
“We do too” the lady looked back at the camera and smiled.

“What a little rat” Anne said turning of the television, ‘She’s digging for a story within a story.” She muttered walking back to Jackie, who was as still as a stone.

“I let him go out there.” She said looking at the blank black screen. “I should’ve just said no. I did say no, Then they begged and I gave in. I’m” her face went perplexed “I’m such a horrible mother” she whispered

“No Jackie,” Anne sat beside her sister-in-law, hugging her from the side, resting Jackie’s head against hers “no, sweetheart, no” she whispered.

“My baby” Jackie mumbled between tears, “I’m so sorry” she whispered.