The Bus Ride

Chapter Twenty

I don't expect the leader to come in right away. Obviously, judging by the way this town has been run so far, he doesn't really care about doing classic mayor duties. However, I still do expect him to come in to work, and if not, all of this would have been for nothing. I sit there in the pitch black bathroom for another half hour, until I hear two people walk inside the office. I freeze and don't even dare to breathe. If it is him, I want to spring out and shoot him right now, but I hold myself back, knowing that I have to be absolutely sure that it is him out there. I press my ear to the wall and strain to hear any conversation. I am rewarded by hearing snippets of conversation, and although I have absolutely no idea of what they are talking about, I do hear the voice that haunts my nightmares to this day. One of those men is definitely the leader. Now, I could spring out and kill the extra man before the leader, but that would give me less time to get out, as the rest of the people in the building would be alerted to my presence. It's best that I wait for the other man to leave, and after what seems like eternity, he does. I then make the decision to stay in the bathroom. After all, in the bathroom I have the upper hand, and am a lot less visible. Of course, the small space will amplify the already loud sound of the gunshot, and possibly cause me permanent damage to my ears, but it is an overall better place to stay. Besides, he will have to use the bathroom eventually. So I settle back down, and for the next hour, everything is pretty quiet. After about an hour and a half, I hear him get up, and footsteps start to approach the bathroom door. I spring to my feet quietly, and stand against the wall, in a way so that when he opens the door he can't see me, but when he closes it he can, and wait, heart beating faster then it has ever beat, and that is saying something, considering all that I've been through in the last couple of weeks. Slowly, I hear the bathroom door open, and he steps inside.

As soon as he closes the door I spring into action. I step forward and press the gun against his head, hard enough to break the skin, sending blood trickling down his neck. I'm behind him, and in the mirror I can see his surprised face, and I know he can see me.
"What the hell?" He says in surprise, and tries to turn around.
"None of that." I say, trying to sound as intimidating as possible, trying to stop my voice from shaking.
"Get on your knees, and if you try anything I will shoot you right here and now." I continue, and he obliges, slowly getting down on his knees.
"What the hell do you want?!" He asks angrily, and I almost laugh.
"I'm in your bathroom holding a gun to your head. What do you think I want?" I say sarcastically.
"Do I know you?" He asks, and I almost shoot him right then and there. How could he not recognize me? The fact that he doesn't even care about the children who he hurt so badly, makes me hate him even more.
"You don't recognize me? I'm surprised. You are in the same position as he was when you made me shoot him." In the mirror I see his eyes widen in realization, and he looks at me. He utters one word in shock.
"You."
"Yes me, the girl who you forced to choose between her two best friends, the girl who you awkwardly hit on, then hit. The girl who you chose her friend to be led away and sexually assaulted before shooting!" He stays silent, probably a good thing, as I wouldn't have listened to him anyway.
"You are responsible for the deaths of over fifty children. You beat over three-quarters of them to death. You mentally scarred the other ones so bad that we probably won't get over it. You are responsible for the nightmares that haunt us every night, and you are reason that everytime I close my eyes I see my friend hitting the ground, a bullet in his head. You deserve so much worse then this. You are a monster, and deserve to suffer. Sadly, I don't have that time. However, you are going to die today. So, any last words?" I ask him, quite calmly actually. He looks at my reflection, before spitting out his final words.
"Go to hell." He says, and I laugh before removing the safety on the gun.
"Oh I will. But at least I'll see you there. Now you are going to die the exact same way he did. Kneeling, defenseless, and helpless. Now you know how it feels, to be completely at the mercy of someone." With those words. I pull the trigger, and watch as the bathroom walls and tiles become streaked with red.

I don't have time to admire my handiwork. I grab my bag and run out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Heading over to the window I open it and look out. Nobody is around. I quickly climb out, and drop to the ground. Thank God that the mayors office is on the first floor. Then I walk away like nothing happened. Of course, I have to hurry. I'm still a wanted person, and anybody can recognize me. So I head back home through the alleyways, almost skipping. I feel so much lighter, and although I should feel guilty, I feel no remorse for what I did. He deserved it. I make much better time heading home and arrive at my house in about twenty minutes. My parents aren't home, as they should be at work, and I grab my keys and head inside my house. I don't linger long, and head upstairs to my room. I open the door and grab a bag and start packing. I grab clothes, money, food, and other essentials. I reach for the journal on my bed before freezing. I gave that journal to Luke. The only way that it could have ended up on my bed was if he broke in. I grab a knife and head to my closet. No Luke there. I the go to my bathroom, and yank back the shower curtain, and there he is, looking very guilty.
"Well. I never thought I would find you in my shower." I joke, and he awkwardly climbs out.
"I didn't know if it was you, or your parents, so I hid." Luke replies and I nod and go back into my room and resume packing.
"Why are you packing?" Shoot. I forgot that he didn't know about my plan. I sighed and turned to face him.
"I leaving Luke, and I don't think I'm ever coming back."
"But why?"
"Did you not read the journal? Do you not know what I just did?" I say tiredly.
"So, you succeeded?"
"Obviously, I'm here am I not?"
"But you can't just leave! Where are you going to go? How are you going to get there?"
"I've got it all figured out. I'm going to hitchhike to the nearest big city, and then I'm going to disappear for a while. I can't stay here, and I won't." Luke is quiet for a couple moments, then speaks.
"Fine. I can't stop you. But you can't stop me from coming with you."
What, Luke no! You can't!" I exclaim.
"I most certainly can. I'm going to come with you, and we will take care of each other."
"But Luke, what about your family, and your friends?" I ask, trying to persuade him to stay.
"Look, Celia you are like the sister I never had. You practically are my family. This town is going to the dogs, and if I'm going to run away with anyone, it's going to be you." I stare at him for a long moment before sighing.
"Fine. But you better pack quickly."
"Already done." He grins, and retrieves a large bag from the corner of my room. With that we head out of my house, and I can't help but feel some sadness at the idea of leaving the only home I've ever known. But the sadness is quickly replaced with anger, and I don't linger. Luke and I head out the house, and down the road, heading to a new life.

It's hard to believe that all of this happened because I chose to ignore a teacher and get on the bus. It's hard to believe that since then I've seen so many people die, and killed two myself, it's hard to believe that I'm now on the run and wanted for murder. However, this experience has made me stronger. It's made me better. I will never forget the incident, and what followed.

OMG It's done! I can't believe it! I might do an epilogue, and I'm thinking of doing a sequel about Celia and Luke's new life in the big city. Thank you to all of you who voted and commented, you guys are awesome. Also, I am part of @KellyAnneBlount 's Wattpad Block Party, and will be posting a chapter in the leaders perspective, and am super excited for that, so be sure to check that out. Once again, thank you all so much!

Cat