The Bus Ride

Chapter Eleven

I slowly open my eyes, hoping that I made the right choice. There, sprawled out on the ground with a bloody bullet hole in the back of his head, with blank eyes that will never see again, is Dallas. I couldn't bring myself to kill Luke. Even if Dallas did claim that he loved me, Luke is practically my family, and I couldn't live with myself if I killed him. The gun falls out of my hand with a clatter, and I slump to the ground. I can't take my eyes off Dallas' lifeless body. No matter how I think about it, I killed one of my best friends. I became a murderer today. Maybe I don't deserve to make it out of here alive. Maybe I shouldn't even try.
"I think that will teach them not to run away, how about you?" The leader says to one of his lackeys, chuckling a little as he does. "Alright, since we clearly can't trust you brats, we will take you somewhere more secure. As for the rest of you, you all have friends here. You can experience what this girl just experienced." I don't even resist as strong hands wrap around my forearm and pull me up, forcing me to walk. I look back and see Luke in a similar situation too. Guess he isn't "trustworthy" either.

They march us towards the cabin that the leader and other gang members stay in. As we near closer I can't think of anything else besides the loud bang of the gun, me jolting back, hearing that thump, and opening my eyes and seeing Dallas' body on the ground, surrounded by a rapidly growing pool of blood. So much blood. It's astonishing really, that so much blood can fit inside one person. We walk into the cabin and I am actually surprised at how nice it is. Clearly someone spent a good amount of time fixing this place up. We pass multiple bedrooms and I figure that we will be locked in one of them, but no luck. We stop in front of a closet and the door is unlatched and opened. I see that it is pitch black, and while it is fairly large for a closet, it will be very cramped with Luke and I. I look over and see Luke start to panic. Crap. I forgot Luke was claustrophobic ever since he had been kept in a trunk for hours by his two older brothers when he was five years old, all for being loud. Great. Now I will be stuck in a closet, trying to reassure Luke, and I have never been good at that. Nicole was the motherly one, not me. The gang members escorting us produce ropes and gags out of no where and quickly bind and gag us, then shove us into the closet. I hear the distinctive click of a locked being put into place and know that there is no way of getting out of this one.

For a little while we sit in silence. Well, besides Luke's frantic wheezing and muffled gasps as he starts to panic. I want to comfort him, but this stupid gag is in the way. I start to work at it, tossing my head around and trying to get it off. I must look ridiculous, and if Luke wasn't having a panic attack he would be laughing his head off. Finally I manage to get it off and let out a sigh of relief. I feel like I can breath again. I then focus my attention on Luke.
"Hey, buddy. Focus on me." I say slowly and calmly. I feel like screaming and punching a wall, but I know that won't do either of us any good. Slowly he starts to calm down and looks at me, terror in his eyes. I have only seen him like this once, when our class went on a field trip to an amusement park and Luke and I went through the haunted house, and got lost in the maze of mirrors. He felt so closed in, and all I could do was hug him until he calmed down. Hugging him was not an option, and I didn't know what to say to him. I decided to do my best. We have nothing left to lose anyway.
"You need to calm down Luke." He doesn't reply, understandably considering he still has his gag in. He starts to flail his head around and I know that he is just trying to get the gag off. He gets it off and starts to pant.
"You don't understand Celia. The walls, they are closing in. We are going to die!" He says, finishing with a cry of terror. Through the faint light coming through the cracks in the door I can see that his face is streaked with tears.
"Luke. Don't think about it. Think about something else, anything!" That's what I try to do when something is bothering me. In fact, that is what I'm doing now. I'm trying to block the image of Dallas' body on the ground. Luke takes a deep breath and stops moving.
"Celia?" Luke asks.
"Yeah?"
"What made you choose Dallas?" I freeze. The one question I don't want to answer he asks.
"Honestly Luke, I don't know. I was going to kill you, but something told me not to." I say, and wait for his reaction. Silence. I rush to fill the gap with words. "I mean, you are like family to me, but for a second, I wanted to know what it would be like to be loved. But then, there was the possibility that he was lying, so I decided to go for the sure thing." I wait nervously for his answer.
"I get it. I know what you mean." We both fall silent and just sit there, in the dark closet.

After a while Luke breaks the silence.
"You know, Dallas' death wasn't your fault." Luke says and I scoff.
"Really? Than whose fault was it, huh Luke?" I exclaim. Without even giving him a chance to respond I push forward. "I'm the one who pulled the trigger. I'm the one who chose to kill him. I'm the one who came up with the stupid escape plan. I'm the one who told that kid that she couldn't come with us. It's all my fault!" I cry and feel a tear slip down my cheek.
"Celia don't think like that. It was the gang that kidnapped us, therefore setting all of this in motion. It's their fault, not yours." I sigh, and lean my head against the wall.
"What do I tell his family Luke? How do I tell them that their son is dead and I'm the one who killed him? I can't live like this! I'm afraid to go to sleep because I know that he will be there! I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being." I cry out and burst out crying.
"Celia look at me." I turn my head, and through yet faint light see his face, grim and set with determination. "You are not pathetic. You are the strongest person I know, and have done everything in your power to help us. Your plan was a good one, but sometimes things happen that we can't control." I smile faintly.
"Thank you. I needed that."

I don't know how long we were in there. A day, at the most I'd say. For the rest of our time there we either sleeped or talked, mostly about Dallas and Nicole, and how much we missed them. It was almost nice, not having to be waken up by screams or gunshots. It was peaceful, and we didn't see any gang members for our entire stay. Of course, that meant that we didn't get any food or water, but that was tolerable. After what seemed like forever the door finally opens, and Luke and I blink at the sudden brightness.
Luke and I look at them expectantly, and I brace myself for the worst. Perhaps the leader decided that he would rather kill us. Perhaps they are just killing everyone. Instead, the gang members deliver the best news possible.
"Get up. The mayor has responded and we are letting you guys go."

Yay they are finally getting out! This isn't the end of the book, no not at all. I plan on having at least twenty chapters. Be sure to check out the short story I recently added, I wrote it for @ParanormalCommunity Halloween contest, and would love feedback. If you enjoyed this chapter please vote, comment, and follow!
Cat