Justify His Murder

Almost Time

    I was planning on driving my car, but Reed laughed for five minutes at the idea. Even now as he pulled out of the apartment building's parking lot, he was still chuckling softly. I'll admit his car was much nicer. It was sleek, black, and he treated it like a baby. It even had a name, "Mischief", which seemed appropriate for the night.

    "Will you stop laughing?" I sighed as I looked out of the tinted windows.

    He adjusted the mirror, "I'm imagining us going around in that death trap you call a car. Didn't you get stuck in the middle of nowhere because of that thing just a couple of weeks ago?"

    "I did, as a matter of fact. And I called you, but you didn't pick up. I was stuck in the pouring rain."

    "Oh please, I need my beauty sleep. Besides, you got home fine, wearing Sienna's jacket no less."

    I stayed quiet and he grinned. Reed was always good at quick comebacks. I needed to get better at those. He pulled up at the same gas station from before and I was glad to see the van had left.

   "Can you get me a coffee, please?" He popped his head in the window as he waited for the tank to fill up.

   "A coffee? Go get it yourself." I looked up from my phone, confused.

    He sighed, "But if I go in there with a full face of makeup, I'll get hate crimed. You know that counter guy is a jerk."

    I was going to argue some more, but I remembered the time the counter guy had tried to call the cops on Reed for using the public bathroom.

    "Fine." I took off my seatbelt and headed in. The store was empty. It was obvious the workers had been prepping for tonight. Racks weren't as filled as usual. And locks had been put on the fridges. I couldn't really imagine anyone wanting to spend their night trying to break into the gas station, but I guess it didn't hurt to be overly cautious.

    I went over to the coffee machine. As I poured Reed his coffee, I looked up to see the counter guy glaring at me. I guess it was a good idea that Reed didn't come in here.

    "Still outside. On Purge night. Why?" He asked.

     I had to look at his name tag because I could never remember his name, "I don't see how it's your business, ...Greg."

    "Hm." He said and turned towards the cash register, forcefully closing the drawer like I was planning on stealing what was most likely only 20 dollars.

    "Hm." I sighed and put the top on Reed's coffee, "How much for the coffee?"

    "Where's the other one?" He asked as I went over to the counter. Without asking, I could assume he meant Reed.

     I smiled, "I'll let him know you're so interested. He'll be flattered."

     As he insisted on pretending to scan the coffee cup, I realized why someone would want to break into this store. Greg was vexing enough and I could see someone doing anything to try and wipe that smirk off his annoying face. I handed him my wrinkled dollar bills.

    He sighed obnoxiously while he counted out my change, "Plans for tonight?"

    "I don't know, Greg. Right now I'm thinking about what this gas station would look like with smashed windows."

     "Really funny. Maybe someone's wondering what you'd look like with a smashed skull." His nails dug into my palm as he placed the change in my hand.

      I yanked my hand away, "Have a great night. I really hope you do."

     Slamming the door behind me, I walked briskly back to the car. Reed was sitting in his seat, messing around with the radio stations.

       "Hey." He said when I opened the door, "Do you think R&B is the right kind of vibe for a murder night?"

      I handed him his cup, "We're not buying coffee from here anymore."

      "Why?" He took a sip before setting it down in his cup holder. I locked my door and put my seatbelt back on, explaining what had happened while he pulled out of the gas station and back onto the street.

       Reed shook his head and cursed about Greg under his breath. I looked out the window. Not many people were still out now. I could see barricades on some building doors and stores with their doors secured. A quick glance at the time confirmed my guess. Just about half an hour now. We had spent a lot of time at our apartment planning and had gone around town earlier for more supplies. Now all that we needed to do was survive the night and find our target. I had a pretty good idea of where he'd be tonight.

      "So, why didn't you ever say anything about this plan before?" Reed pulled into an otherwise deserted parking lot with a decent view of our surroundings before turning the car off.

       I sighed and leaned back against the seat, "How was I supposed to bring that into conversation?"

      "I don't know..." He tapped his chin like he was thinking about how he would do it, "But, you should've told me."

     "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry."

     "Can you say I was right again? I want to live in the moment."

       I laughed. Reed smiled for a second, but then fidgeted in his seat. His eyes fell on the bags of weapons and other stuff we had in the backseat.

      "Have you ever actually shot someone?" He asked quietly.

         I thought about it, "No...have you?"

          He fell quiet which made me wonder. His mouth fell open and closed multiple times. I was about to ask again, when a sound from outside made me stay quiet. Our eyes met for a second. Silently, we shared our feelings of alarm and worry. And in that second I realized something. I didn't really care if Reed had shot someone before. Even if he had, I'd still be willing to take a bullet for him and he would for me. In that second, we acknowledged how much we cared for each other because we didn't know what was about to happen. We were so ready to die, but couldn't go without making sure the other knew how we felt.

        I grabbed Reed's hand as we looked outside. Someone was running towards us. They were still too far away to see, but they were screeching loud enough to be heard clearly.

        Reed squeezed my hand before letting go to reach into the backseat and pull out a gun. My heart was pounding. Reed prepared to aim if the need arose. But suddenly, he lowered it and tilted his head.

        "Wait...is that-? Morgan, that's..." He stammered in surprise.

         "Who?" I leaned over to get a better look.

         My jaw dropped as the figure came closer. Being scared before seemed silly now, but then I was reminded of what was about to start. She slowed down when she realized it was us. Her long blonde curls that fell over her pale blue eyes were undeniable.

         Reed, still in shock, lowered the window and I stuck my head out to yell, "Sienna?! What the heck are you doing out here?"