He Aims the Gun

Chapter 5 - What I've Done

    I was tired of running. Not physically tired, my adrenaline had yet to go down, just, mentally tired of it. I was done with it. 

I hated it.

So I just walked along the side of the road. Night had quickly fallen, only the scarce street lights and the moon above me illuminating my path.

The moon doesn’t produce its own light, it reflects what the sun passes on to it. If it weren’t for the sun we would never know the moon exists. Then again if we didn’t have the sun, we wouldn’t exist. Funny how that works...

    I found walking in the darkness alone oddly soothing. I enjoyed the peaceful crickets and cicadas that sounded around me. It was the closest thing to music I had heard in the last few days. The only downside is how much it made me think… about everything.

    Back at the hospital, what really did happen? Was it me or the shot fuse box that killed those people? I’d like to think it was the box, but… No, no it wasn’t me. There’s no proof.  Still… the way they all looked at me. Cowered in fear nearly soiling themselves. They drew a gun on me, and that was their downfall, right?.....So- so what if it was me? It wasn’t intentional, I had no idea how to control this power… Will it last? What happens if I get grounded for too long and I lose all of my electricity? Would I die for real? Or am I really already dead? What about my parents…? The way they looked at me, they would never be able to look at me again. They betrayed me. Where do I go from here? Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. I can’t stay here, what if-

    My trail of thought was cut off by the sudden sound of a siren. A police siren.

Shit…

The flashing blue and red lights slowly encroached behind me. I kept walking down the road and onto the bridge, not looking back.

    They’re just driving by, don’t be nervous. Don’t look suspicious. They’re not here for me.

    The police vehicle behind me challenged what I thought, suddenly pulling up in front of me. He parked a couple feet away and quickly got out of the car, readying his hand on his gun in his holster.

    “Freeze!” He demanded, holding his hand out to stop me.

    I listened to him, why wouldn’t I? He probably just wanted to ask me questions.

    Don’t panic…

They’re not here for me.

    The officer cautiously approached me, staying a good distance away out of fear. I could see it in his eyes, the same expression as the people in the hospital. The same expression as my parents… 

    “You’re under arrest! Surrender and turn yourself in peacefully!” He kept his distance.

    “Arrest? What did I do?” I hoped he wouldn’t have a valid answer, but of course he did. It was what I feared…

    “You know good and well what you did, you- monster... Killing all of those innocent people with your witchcraft!”

A sharp chill ran down my spine from the dead-set glare the officer was giving me. His eyes were burning a hole into my soul, the already messed up fiery black hole that it had become, at least that’s how he saw it. That’s all he could see, for killing those people. 

He thinks I did that? What evidence does he have that I don’t?

The weight of the situation finally came down on me, and it hit me hard. I was wanted. Wanted, for murder… I stepped back in disbelief backing against the railing of the bridge. I stayed silent for I couldn’t speak. My mouth opened, but no words came out, they couldn’t. I had so many sentences streaming through my mind, so many things I could say to justify everything and let him know what truly happened. It was like I was some lost ventriloquist dummy with no-one to be my voice and give me the illusion of life. This uncertainty could make him lash out at any moment. Just in case, I ungloved my left hand, visible cerulean sparks jumping out and glowing neon in the darkness around us.

This clearly startled the officer, as his hand which was readily on the pistol against his hip came swinging up, aiming the weapon directly at me... Faint streaks of cerulean light reflected off the cold steel of his gun.

“Stay back, demon!” He shouted as he took aim right at my chest.

Demon, he called me… Is he mocking me for the Hell I’ve been through?

I was temporarily paralyzed from fear. If I tried to make a move, he would shoot. I may be medically dead, but I’m sure a bullet would still do some damage. Not to mention hurt like hell. Even if I did somehow manage to hurt him first, that would just be another body count on my seemingly ever increasing tally, but there was a better option with less risk. Escape.

I slowly raised my hands in the air to symbolize my surrender, cautiously shifting my weight preparing to jump. I did my best to control my sparks as to not antagonize the officer any more than I already had.

“That’s it, you little freak of nature… Come peacefully.” He spat venom when he spoke, disdain from my “actions” at the hospital.

There he goes again with the name calling. Freak. I get the feeling I’m going to be hearing that one a lot.

I waited until he began to let his guard down, lowering his pistol, before I fired off a bright flash at the ground to blind him.  I jumped over the side of the bridge making my escape. It all happened so fast. I heard him shout, I heard a loud bang, a gunshot… and I felt a sudden sharp pain in my shoulder. I didn’t have time to process this as I tumbled down the ravine past stones and roots and trees. I don’t remember for how long I fell, I lost count of how many times I hit something, I just closed my eyes and waited for it to be over. Before I closed my eyes, I could’ve sworn I saw the silhouette of a person, but I brushed it off as being a blur in the trees.

At some point I hit the ground, landing in a small creek at the bottom of the ravine. The water felt, hot… I brought my hand up to my shoulder, finally taking a moment to inspect my wound. It was deep, a clean shot, it stung to the touch, it hurt like hell… but I should be fine. I pulled my hand away and looked it over. It was covered in the crimson substance, coalescing into drops and gently dripping down my hand as the moonlight above me was shimmering off of it.

Would it be psychotic to admit it looked kind of pretty?

I was thrown off by the temperature of my own blood. It was cooler than the creek, much cooler in fact. Cold. I got myself up, not bothering to tend to my wound. Since my body no longer pumps blood, I guess I don’t need it anymore. I washed off my hand in the water below me, putting my glove back on. I wished the officer thought I was dead with the bullet wound and long fall, but considering everything else I survived the chances were slim he would think as such.

I have to get moving. NOW...

I wandered the length of the ravine for what felt like hours. I followed the creek just to see where it would take me. I never heard any sirens or saw any lights, hell I never heard anyone else even around these parts; they clearly weren’t on my trail. After some time I came across a road. I hoped it would lead to somewhere far away from where anyone knew me. For the time being that was my best bet.

I’m officially on the run from the law, wanted for several counts of manslaughter. What a wonderful situation to be in.  If I’m going to survive out here on my own, I need to conceal my identity. I can work on that part when I find another town… Until then, I’ll just lay low, creep through the shadows. Just like a monster would do stalking their prey, because at this point?

I am a monster…