My Socks Are on Fire!
Monday, November 19, 2007
A Story
In case the title of this post wasn't enough information for you, the following story is fictional. Any similarity to actual people or events is purely coincidental and unintentional. That is to say it is all in your head, deal with it. Happy now?
I knock on the door.
A few moments pass.
I breathe out and my breath bounces around inside the cloth of my mask and fogs up my sunglasses.
He answers. This is good, I don't have to use the note I have written on my hand. It says "Which room is Mel's?" If a roommate answered I would have flashed my palm so I wouldn't have to speak. That way they couldn't identify me by my voice.
The door opens slightly and I stick my foot in next to the jamb. This is a little trick I learned from the Community Advisers. Makes it harder to close the door.
My foot only rests there for an instant because once I realize it's Him I go to work. I shove the door into him. He's small so he offers little resistance. I make a quick scan of the bedroom doors. The open one, that's it. As I make it through the second door I see her. She isn't fully undressed, as I expected, but she is definitely on her way. I hesitate for about a second more than I should before I snap out of it.
I pull the tire iron out of the waistband of my pants and head straight for the television. A quick swing makes the whole set shatter. From there I move on to computer. It's a laptop so I just smash the keyboard a couple time and the screen once. I look for a final target as I turn back to the door. Yes, the big sliding mirror on the closet. I wind up and let loose as the glass shatters.
As I make it back to the living room it occurs that I don't want to be followed. I turn to him, and he hasn't moved. Everything has slowed down and my only question is: arm or leg? Arm or leg? Leg will definitely keep him from following, but all I want to do is focus attention elsewhere. Arm it is. One wide swing and a sickening crack later I am out the door and heading directly across the hall to the staircase. I couldn't have asked for better room placement.
As I go down one flight of stairs, I remove my outer shirt and mask. After only one flight I leave the stairwell. Just as I had planned, The laundry room is but a few feet away. I toss my shirt and mask into a dryer and quickly take off my pants and do the same to them. I am now wearing a completely different outfit and can move about freely.
I look down and see the tire iron still in my hand. Shit. I need to get rid of this. I shove it back into the waistband of my pants and cover the end with my new shirt. I had planned on returning to my room and sleeping peacefully but It looks like I have to make a detour first. With the tool concealed and my outfit changed I have no need to rush. I'm not what the police will be looking for. I hop on the elevator (if you're in a hurry you don't have time to wait for an elevator,) and ride it down the last two floors to the ground. I calmly walk through the building, glancing into the main office as I pass. No frantic activity. A good sign. Nobody has been notified yet, at least not here.
As I make it to the parking lot I see her car. That was going to be my plan B, but why can't I have a little from column A and a little from column B? As I near her car I slow down, checking for possible witnesses. Nobody is about, so I take my first swing. Passenger window. It feels good. I love that sound. I smash the windshield. It cracks but does not shatter. Stupid safety glass. I'll get back to you in a minute. Driver window. It breaks as quickly as its opposite. Back to the windshield. All I manage to do is punch one small hole after another.
That's when I hear the sirens. Two different sirens. My guess is police and ambulance. Now that I think about it, a fire would have completed the trifecta. I could have set it first and then taken care of everything else. Oh well, too late now. I leave the tire iron stuck in the windshield and start heading to my car. Too late, the cops have seen me. I break the first rule; I start running. I make it to my car and manage to start it up and back out before they catch up to me. I hope they don't think my petty vandalism had anything to do with the horrible attack inside the building, but one car is sent my direction, probably just to be sure.
I shoot down the lane in reverse before slamming it back into gear and turning. I make it out of the parking lot and drive along the only street there is. I have to get off campus. I'm coming up on the intersection. I'm already going 50 in a 20 zone. The light is red. No turning back now. I floor it.
I knock on the door.
A few moments pass.
I breathe out and my breath bounces around inside the cloth of my mask and fogs up my sunglasses.
He answers. This is good, I don't have to use the note I have written on my hand. It says "Which room is Mel's?" If a roommate answered I would have flashed my palm so I wouldn't have to speak. That way they couldn't identify me by my voice.
The door opens slightly and I stick my foot in next to the jamb. This is a little trick I learned from the Community Advisers. Makes it harder to close the door.
My foot only rests there for an instant because once I realize it's Him I go to work. I shove the door into him. He's small so he offers little resistance. I make a quick scan of the bedroom doors. The open one, that's it. As I make it through the second door I see her. She isn't fully undressed, as I expected, but she is definitely on her way. I hesitate for about a second more than I should before I snap out of it.
I pull the tire iron out of the waistband of my pants and head straight for the television. A quick swing makes the whole set shatter. From there I move on to computer. It's a laptop so I just smash the keyboard a couple time and the screen once. I look for a final target as I turn back to the door. Yes, the big sliding mirror on the closet. I wind up and let loose as the glass shatters.
As I make it back to the living room it occurs that I don't want to be followed. I turn to him, and he hasn't moved. Everything has slowed down and my only question is: arm or leg? Arm or leg? Leg will definitely keep him from following, but all I want to do is focus attention elsewhere. Arm it is. One wide swing and a sickening crack later I am out the door and heading directly across the hall to the staircase. I couldn't have asked for better room placement.
As I go down one flight of stairs, I remove my outer shirt and mask. After only one flight I leave the stairwell. Just as I had planned, The laundry room is but a few feet away. I toss my shirt and mask into a dryer and quickly take off my pants and do the same to them. I am now wearing a completely different outfit and can move about freely.
I look down and see the tire iron still in my hand. Shit. I need to get rid of this. I shove it back into the waistband of my pants and cover the end with my new shirt. I had planned on returning to my room and sleeping peacefully but It looks like I have to make a detour first. With the tool concealed and my outfit changed I have no need to rush. I'm not what the police will be looking for. I hop on the elevator (if you're in a hurry you don't have time to wait for an elevator,) and ride it down the last two floors to the ground. I calmly walk through the building, glancing into the main office as I pass. No frantic activity. A good sign. Nobody has been notified yet, at least not here.
As I make it to the parking lot I see her car. That was going to be my plan B, but why can't I have a little from column A and a little from column B? As I near her car I slow down, checking for possible witnesses. Nobody is about, so I take my first swing. Passenger window. It feels good. I love that sound. I smash the windshield. It cracks but does not shatter. Stupid safety glass. I'll get back to you in a minute. Driver window. It breaks as quickly as its opposite. Back to the windshield. All I manage to do is punch one small hole after another.
That's when I hear the sirens. Two different sirens. My guess is police and ambulance. Now that I think about it, a fire would have completed the trifecta. I could have set it first and then taken care of everything else. Oh well, too late now. I leave the tire iron stuck in the windshield and start heading to my car. Too late, the cops have seen me. I break the first rule; I start running. I make it to my car and manage to start it up and back out before they catch up to me. I hope they don't think my petty vandalism had anything to do with the horrible attack inside the building, but one car is sent my direction, probably just to be sure.
I shoot down the lane in reverse before slamming it back into gear and turning. I make it out of the parking lot and drive along the only street there is. I have to get off campus. I'm coming up on the intersection. I'm already going 50 in a 20 zone. The light is red. No turning back now. I floor it.
Labels: assault, escape, fiction, freedom, justice, mask, police, revenge, tire iron
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