Thursday, February 15, 2018

The Voice


“Your dad hunts, right?” Kai said as he looked up from his phone. We were sitting on his bed, in his pristine, white, empty bedroom. “I’m going to need you to get me his gun.”

Thinking about it, I don’t think I had ever objected to anything Kai said. Of course I’d get him that gun. I liked him too much to object. I believed we were one and the same. I’ve had this obsession ever since we first met, back in fourth grade. The second I saw him walk in with his luscious blonde hair and his confident swagger, I knew he was the one. We got very close after that day. From our first conversation, I felt like I could tell him anything; he was just that kind of person.

The next time we met was in school. He waved at me to come over as I walked past his locker. I discreetly handed him the weapon. No one seemed to notice. Kai always had a lot of friends. I never understood how it’s possible to get so many people to like you. Although in Kai’s case the answer is obvious: he always got what he wanted no matter what it took. That’s what made me begin to follow his word like it was holy.

“All of them have a purpose,” is what he told me. Kai said I was always his favorite; that he wanted me for the company and not for particular services. I was always very proud of this position. I felt like I’d beaten the hierarchy and secured a place at the top, right next to the leader. Kai, at this point, had been talking for 5 minutes, and I wanted to contribute. I suggested to get a map of the school and distract the security in front of the main building. Kai seemed very happy, as he proceeded to smirk and give me a kiss on the cheek. I felt satisfied with my input on the plan, although there was a voice in the back of my head, a silent whisper. It told me to abandon Kai, to break away from his influence. I quickly brushed it off and continued my mental worship for him.
Civil Site Design Group. “MT. JULIET HIGH SCHOOL.” Civil Site Design Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2005, www.civil-site.com/projects/mt-juliet-high-school/. 

I gave him the newly acquired map the next morning at the bus station. He greeted me with a big hug.

“Today’s the day” Kai whispered with a grin.

I tried to pull the most convincing smile I could even though I hadn’t slept all night. Something didn’t feel right; the voice kept telling me to stop.

The guards were taken care of. I knew that the time was approaching. Every single second that went by felt like another dagger in my stomach. I couldn’t do it. I was too weak. I couldn’t be like Kai, I didn’t even know how to be myself. It was too late, I knew it was. The voice tried to warn me before, but I didn’t listen.

Right as I raced through the library doors, I started to hear screams. Loud, terrified, wails. I felt as if they were my own, like I was feeling their pain. Every time I heard a gunshot, it was like I was the one receiving the bullet. People began running down the hallways, pushing each other out of the way, trying to get out. With all my dismay, the only thing I could think of was to run for my life. It was too much torture. I ended up escaping through the window on the first floor, right by the chemistry room.

The second I got to my house I locked myself in. Remaining in the same position for a total of five hours, I felt all the emotions possible: disgust, shock, fear, regret. They overwhelmed me. I was tricked. I was manipulated. I was not like this. I was not him. My actions cost people their lives. I was a coward, I ran away.

“I don’t know if you’re a magician sir, your card only tells me that you are a lawyer. I’m innocent, I swear, it was all Kai. Please sir, you have to help me. I’ve been trapped here for 30 years.”

2 comments:

  1. What a terrifying story. Your character are creatively integrated and feels alive. I thought this was a great story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. your story really reminded me of the tv show "end of the world"

    ReplyDelete