Back When the Lights Shined

Chapter Nineteen

I look down to the pool of blood surrounding him. The bullet had hit him right in between the eyes. It’s unbelievable that it happened with only one shot. He died instantly. In shock, I drop the gun to my feet. I can’t move now. My hands are still trembling. I almost feel lightheaded. I turn my head away from the body.

            I feel sick now. He is dead. And it is my fault. I shouldn’t feel guilty, but I do. I need to sit down. I carelessly drop so I am sitting on the wooden floor, now stained with blood. I bring my hands to my forehead.

            Ashton is visibly shaken. He came so close to death. If I hadn’t killed¾no, murdered¾that man, he’d be gone. Now, he won’t even look in the direction of President McCrastly’s body. He walks over to me and kneels by my side. Gently, he puts his hand on my shoulder.

            “You saved me,” he says, amazed. Tears spring to my eyes. My heart is beating faster now, even though it is over. Slowly, the adrenaline is slipping away, letting it slow. So many emotions run through my mind, I cannot help but cry. Not tears of sadness, nor tears of joy.

            I wrap my arms around his neck. I let him lift me up into his arms. He is close to being in tears as well, but he’s laughing instead. I hold his head closer, and let him bury his nose into my neck. After a few seconds, he pulls his head back to look at me.

            “We did it. We took Circum,” he says. I shake my head.

            “We saved America,” I correct him. He laughs and kisses me.

            I look back to the body and then to the window.

            “Shouldn’t we tell everyone,” I ask.

            Ashton looks to the window and nods. Before going out to the balcony, he stops by the fireplace and grabs a piece of wood with a flame on the edge. He carries it out to the balcony with him, and dismounts the yellow and green Circumite flag.

            I look down at the crowd of CTs, rebels, and innocent citizens. They all are standing by, silently waiting for a sign of what the result of our act is. By now, they all know that the palace was under attack. Who is now in control, however, is the question. Ashton holds the flag up for a moment. Still unsure about what this means, everyone below us seems to hold their breath.

            Then, Ashton holds the burning wood to the flag. It goes up in flames. Ashton holds it higher in victory. The entire city erupts. Most rebels, the ones fighting for America, explode into cheers and hoots. The CTs all look disappointed. They throw hats onto the ground and begin starting fights with a few people. The scene is chaos. Most citizens lock themselves into their homes.

            Ashton mounts the flag back into its place. The ashes from the burning fabric float away and sink to the city below. Ashton pulls me close to him. I kiss his jawbone, making him smile. I look down at the city. Most people are expressing pure joy. Then, I see two particular people lighting explosives. I gasp in alarm.

            “Ashton, they’re trying to blow up the palace,” I exclaim, tugging on his shirt.

            Shocked, he looks to where I’m frantically gesturing to. As his eyes land on the explosives, his expression changes from concern to excitement. He laughs a little, confusing me. How could he be so unconcerned about this? They aren’t going to accept us! They want us dead.

            “What? Ashton, we have to do something,” I say.

            “No, they aren’t trying to kill us,” he says, smiling. I raise an eyebrow. “Just wait. You’ll see.”