Yuri stood above me, looking over my shoulder at my list.
"It's still blank" she complained.
"I don't know what to write" I shrugged.
"How about.... Cliff diving? Or mountain climbing? Or robbing a bank?" Yuri went on and on before she realized she was rambling. "That's what I'd do at least" she laughed. "Maybe you could try... Having a picnic?"
"In Willow Creak Park! That place is so beautiful" I said, dazed.
"But it's all the way across town. What else Kumiko?" Yuri asked. I thought for a moment.
"Let's just take a bus across town and we'll see what happens from there" I decided.
"Alright" Yuri sighed. "Let's leave tonight. The sooner the better. You can tell your parents that you're spending the night at my house"
"Okay, great" I smiled.
---------------
My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I made my way downstairs.
"Bye Okaasan" I said to my mother as I entered the kitchen
"Bye Kumiko-chan" my mother replied, turning to smile at me before returning to her cooking. I took in a deep breath and sighed.
----------------
Yuri and I agreed to meet at the bus stop stationed a few streets from my house, that way it was less likely for our parents to see us.
I sat on the bench, watching the rain pouring down around me. Yuri came and sat beside me, closing her umbrella as she did. We sat in silence for a while. I pulled my jacket tighter around me, trying to block out the chill of the rain.
Finally, the bus halted to a stop.
The bus smelt of cheap perfume and beer and the only sounds were soft snoring and the pitter-patter of rain drops on the windows. I sat by a window, watching the dark world shift to a darker shade of gray.
"What do we do when our parents find out?" I asked Yuri. Yuri laughed.
"You don't do this very often, do you?"
"No..." I mumbled.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll call our parents and tell them that we're camping with friends or something." Yuri shrugged. The bus suddenly halted to a stop.
"Everyone remain seated and stay calm" a voice over the speaker said.
"What's happening Yuri?" I cried out, my voice shaking.
"I don't know..." Yuri answered. Her mouth was in a tight, straight line but her eyes showed fear.
"Everyone evacuate the bus, this is not a drill" the man over the speaker demanded. "I repeat, this is NOT a drill"
Yuri and I scrabbled out of the bus and took off, hiding in some shrubbery. Three guys with guns circled the bus, forcing people down on their knees. Their figures were hazy through the rain but it was clear the they were all men probably in their late thirties to early forties. They hadn't seen us, luckily, but we still couldn't leave. If we tried to leave they'd probably kill us without second thought.
"Search the bus, find the girl." One man demanded.
He had the voice of a smoker and a slight accent.
"No sign of her" one admitted.
"She's gone" another concluded.
"We have to find her. We must find Kumiko Hayashi"
YOU ARE READING
One Month To Live
Mystery / Thriller***** ON HOLD ***** Death might seem far away to you, but not to Kumiko Hayashi. Kumiko, at age fifteen, has recently learned that maybe death is closer than she thought. All she knows is, she has a month to live and 24 things to do. Murderers, gang...
