Bus 114 (Part 2)

I was shocked but craved more information from him.

"What happened?," I asked.

"Last New Years , we had a party just me and her. Her parents are real nice and let us stay in her basement. We had been together for two years at that point. Anyway, that night, a couple of drunk raiders tried to break in and well...they did. Their were about 4 or 5 of them and they knocked her dad out and tied up her mom. We hid downstairs not knowing what to do, and I tried to be a hero and stop them. I confronted them but they just kicked me and knocked me to the ground. They saw Julie on the stairs and grabbed her. They tied her up and ran out of the house. I only heard her screaming into the distance...her bloodcurdling screams as those bastards took her... I can't imagine what they did to her after that...."

He was crying but quickly wiped away the tears, I was still in shock.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?!" I pleaded.

"I try not to bring it up...." I comforted him for a few minutes.

Just then the door opened up and the Proctor walked in.

"Alright, the following names come with me:" He read through a list of names and about six people stood up and went with him, including Rose and the tall girl. Once they were gone the door created an eerie silence as it shut.
"Where do you think they went...?" The large boy asked.

Just then, we heard shots again. The walls clearly weren't sound proof and it sounded like a pretty powerful gun. Five shots sounded off, and the screams, though inaudible, were as loud as could be. We all panicked, was it a good thing that we were left? August and I were both starting to break. Those kids...they were all gone now. Never to return or anything. The cruel hand of the reaper was finally up on them, but the reaper was just a worker. He was working for them: the proctors, the aids, the guards all of them. They were the real evil here, they killed them plain and simple. Then the doorknob rattled again and the Proctor spoke as he entered:
"All right, next kids please come with me: Terriace-June, Umbell-Anne, Ungery-August..." he said a few more names, but August and I were together. We were joyful but still concerned. We left, along with a few others. As the Proctor shut the door we wouldn't know what would happen to the kids left there, and it was scary to think about but we were together so we were brave, together. Then the feeling was ruined.

"Alright," began the Proctor, "Three of you down this hallway, three of you keep following me."

August and his group were directed to go down the hallway to our left. I started to panic, I couldn't lose August now, not after we've come so far.

"August!" I exclaimed, annoying the guard. He looked back to me for a moment and he gave me his "look." The look was his reaction to a lot of things, it was his way of saying "everything will be okay." And before I knew it, he was gone. It was me, a boy and a girl who I hadn't become acquainted with. We were following the guard closely, we weren't sure where we were going, but we were going somewhere. Maybe we were going to be free or maybe we were on our way to meet Him, just like the others. My mind was in a frenzy, I was mostly worried about August and where he was being taken, I couldn't think of the possibilities.

We were led to another room, this time it looked like a conference room. Inside was the man from the big screen and some guards. The man looked evil still, he even seemed a bit red.

"Welcome, you three. You are the only group of kids who scored proficient enough to be worthy of life. Congratulations!" His manner was honest but I could tell he was a bit condescending. The other two kids were jumping with joy and I was filled with surprise and joy as well. Then it hit me, were the only three that passed.

"What about the others," I asked to the surprise of the Man, "Where are they?"

"Well the others were euthanized quickly and safely, I promise," he replied. But I didn't trust his demeanor, he still seemed condescending and dishonest.

"Where's August Ungery? And the girl, uh Rose?"

"Why would you worry about them? You're free to go. You, Ms. Terriace, had surprisingly high results thanks to your effectiveness in that little situation in the test room. We were going to stop those kids at first but we thought, 'lets see how this plays out.' Then you stepped in, and we knew you would pass with flying colors. And you did. So go, leave now, you're chance of survival is very high."

The other two kids had left with some guards, but I still wanted answers. I wanted those kids to be alive. I wanted August back. But he didn't answer them. He forced a guard to take me out of the conference room, the guard put me down outside and I started to follow him, feeling horrible about myself. Why did I end up suffering? What was so great about me that I got the punishment? Was August really gone? Then I got an idea, it was risky, extremely risky. Dare I try to attempt it? It would be quick but probably kill me. Just grab the tazor from the back of his belt and taze the guy. Obviously they trust me not to hurt them or be much of a threat or else they'd have cuffed me or something. What if this was a test too? Were they expecting me to grab the tazor? I wasn't sure what to believe for a moment. Then he led me to an elevator, he pressed the call button and we silently waited. Then there was a power surge, the lights flickered and the elevator seemed to stop working. The guard reached for his radio at his waist and asked for the status of the situation. No one seemed to know for sure and then there was another surge. This time there was a loud explosion coming from somewhere close. The guard and I both fell the floor as the building shook. Then there were some shots from down the hall. Another guard shouted through the walkie that some kids managed to escape. The guard next to me pressed the call button on the elevator but it was still out of order and I think he wasn't sure what to do.

"Let's go," he ordered. He grabbed my arm and we were swiftly running down the hall. We ran back to the main area where we entered and clearly mass chaos had ensured. Guards were running around so clueless and I saw some kids fighting them who looked like they had been imprisoned for a long time. The guard holding me had run off to help his other soldiers and it was my chance to find August. I ran back the way I came and down the hallway August and his group walked through. It led to a large set of stairs. At the top of the stairs there were two large oak doors and a sign with "Chamber 16" written on it. I sprinted to the top of the stairs only to discover that the doors were locked.
I pulled and pulled the handles but they wouldn't budge. I thought I would never be able to get in there... I wasn't sure if he was even in there. But it was hope. I needed hope right now. I turned and leaned against the doors, I noticed a window to my right. I saw myself for the first time since I left this morning. My curly blonde hair was now mangled and frizzy, my shirt had some tears and the little bit of blush I had applied was running. I looked a mess, I looked crazy...I looked like everyone else.

I'm not sure what I was waiting for; maybe for the doors to open, for someone to rescue us all, whatever it was I knew it wasn't going to happen. I slowly crept down the stairs like a zombie: slow, emotionless, practically dead. Guards and rebelling kids were running up and down the hallway before me, the chaos wasn't going to end until one side was completely dead. Then I saw a familiar face. "June!" Someone shouted.

I saw Rose's fiery red hair fly in the breeze like a wildfire. She still look a bit beat up but she seemed well overall.

"I saw you were here on the monitors," she said, "quickly come with me!" She started to run back down the hall. Not having anywhere else to really go, I followed her. I was suspicious at first but I needed to trust somebody and she seemed genuine enough. She was carrying one of the guards rifles with her, perhaps she's more capable than I thought.

"Where are we going?!" I asked, still running with her.

"You'll see. Just keep up!" She replied.

We ran up a few flights of stairs with the building's bright red lights flashing along the walls. The sounds of the deceased echoed through the concrete walls. The stairs seemed endless but eventually we got to the top floor. In front of us were two large metal doors that looked impossible to open, but Rose just grabbed a small key from her pocket and proceeded to open them, I was quite shocked.

"Wh...how?" I muttered.

"When the incinerator blew up, I grabbed the keys from my Dad's office. But he thinks I'm in a limo ride back home," she explained.

"How did you know the furnace blew up?" I asked

She looked at me, "Who do you think blew it up?"

On the other side of the doors was a large room with several monitors and computers. From there I could see everything that was going on in the facility. The room was empty aside from the body of one of the guards.

"This is the Monitoring Center. From here we can see everything," she locked the two metal doors behind us. I could see the chaos from every room; kids screaming and punching, guards shooting.

"Now all we have to do is call my Dad, tell him we got trapped here and wait for rescue. I'll have to work up some tears, though."

"This was all a plan? Getting bashed around by those kids and everything?"

"Well no, that part wasn't. But it occurred to me afterward that those kids weren't getting out of there easily... I guess you could say I had an epiphany. Then when I got out I went to my Dad's office, stole his keys and snuck to the main control room, blew up the furnace and unlocked everyone's rooms."

"They just let you roam," I asked, I was mostly confused.

"When your father is lead researcher, they don't question you. I know its unfair but, I've gotten away with a lot around here over the years."

I was still confused and wasn't sure how to react. "Why did you find me?," I asked.

"You helped me. You were nice to me. This is me paying you back."

"Actually, if you want to help, I'm looking for someone. Someone who I got separated from..."

"That boy," she said cunningly, "I saw you two together in the Waiting area. I can help but...there's no guarantee he's still alive."

Her words were like icicles, falling and hurting me as she said them. I knew August might not be alive, but I had to at least find him. No matter what cost.

"First we gotta figure out where he is. Do you know what general area he was taken to? Or anything?," she asked staring into the several monitors.

"Well, he went down that hall there," I pointed to the monitor which viewed where we got separated, "then I suppose he was taken to that room right there."

"Thats...not exactly a good thing," she looked at me concernedly, "Thats the Gas chamber."

"What?!"

"I stopped the furnace about a half hour ago, when did you two get separated?"

"Not too long before that, ten-fifteen minutes maybe?"

"That's not bad, he might have a chance. But I unlocked all the doors he should've been able to escape."

"We have to get to him!"

I urged Rose out the door and after she locked the doors, we ran back down the stairs. We ran into some kids, and then there were the corpses along the walls. I thought our world had became Hell, but compared to this, it was just a purgatory. This was hell: the blood stained walls, the dying of the kids, the empowerment of evil, the Red Faced Man in charge, this is what Hell is. It was a truly disturbing sight seeing kids, whose parents were probably waiting for them right now, were dead. They were killed along with the others in plain sight like they had no point in life, like they were useless sacks of flesh that were nothing but rats to Them. Is that what They thought of us? How could have it taken me this long to realize that.
To Them, I was different. I got to live a horrible life in the ruins because they saw me as "capable." But no, I wasn't. The kids who are fighting against Them against the weight of the tyranny on their shoulders were "capable." They weren't useless, they were fighters. They were survivors. They were heroes. To Them, they were just animals that you had to kill to keep in order.

Rose and I approached the large oak doors from earlier. She grabbed the key from her pocket and a piece of paper, which I assume was the virtual combination, and unlocked the door. As the door clicked, I felt the hair on my arms stiffen. Was August really behind that door or was he just a lost spirit trapped in this place like so many others? She opened the doors. We crept inside to see a few groups of kids in a straight line with some guards holding a gun to them. They noticed us right away and began shooting at us. Rose pushed me to the ground behind a rickety old bed. She jumped to the opposite side behind a large metal pole and fired back at them. The kids had saw the opportunity and attacked the guards too. The guards were helpless against the fury of the youth as they slammed their heads into the ground. After an unnecessarily bloody fight the kids dispersed and the only one left in the room, standing along the wall, was August.

I saw him and ran to him immediately and we embraced. They must have been beating the kids as August, not to mention the other kids, had cuts and bruises along their bodies. August attempted to move but fell, he had somehow broken his ankle. Rose and I tried to lift him and were barely strong enough to carry him.

"June...how did you...?" He muttered, he was clearly exhausted.

"Its okay, we rescued you. We're getting out of here, right?"

"Of course," Rose stated, "I sent a distress signal to my Dad, he knows to send the chopper."

"What do we do in the meantime?" I asked, struggling with August on my shoulder.

"To the roof, its the only option we have," she said. She seemed confident, I finally felt that feeling of hope again. We were close to getting out of here, we're almost there."

"We can grab the elevator, it'll be quicker." Rose approached the elevator shaft to our left and we waited for the doors to open.

"June, if we get out of here, we have to...stay in touch, ok-okay?" August was still struggling with the pain.

"Yes, of course, we'll visit each other often." I replied.

The elevator doors opened and we quickly got inside, the doors shut before a few guards could get a close shot at us. The luminous lights and silence were a comfort to us all. Never before had I been happier to hear nothing.

"Now when we get up here, we have to hide until we see the chopper," Rose explained.

"What if their are kids up here who want a ride too?" I asked.

"We'll do what we need to to get out of here." Our eyes locked, she was serious about this.

A few seconds later and the doors opened. The roof had also fallen victim to the chaos: bodies were spread across the concrete. Rose and I carried August to the helipad and hid behind a few barrels. As we escorted August, I saw the bodies of the three siblings from the bus. All with bullets in their chest and blood on their bosoms. I turned away, I couldn't stare at them, it was too terrifying.

We sat down and we all seemed to let out a sigh. Then Rose shot up again.

"There! There it is!" She pointed to the helicopter in the distance, it was a small dot but it was coming.

August and I smiled and were filled with joy and Rose was even more excited. The helicopter was approaching and it grew bigger and bigger as it neared us. Rose signaled it to the helipad and it was trying to land. Then it happened.

The elevator doors opened up again and not just guards, but elite squad members appeared and had started shooting at us. The man on the helicopter, presumably Rose's dad was signaling them to stop shooting. We cowered behind the barrels hoping and praying we wouldn't die now, not here, we were so close. Her Dad finally shouted something angry and profane through a loudspeaker and the guards halted their fire, but it was too late. A bullet had already gone through August's left leg rendering both of his legs useless. He screamed in pain and I tried to cover the wound but nothing was working.

The helicopter safely landed and Rose's dad appeared, to put it softly, angry.

"What the hell happened here?!"He shouted, but clearly Rose was used to it.

"The place just exploded and the kids were fighting and-and.." Rose said, with a false cry.

I was surprised Rose had lied about what happened, what would her Dad do if he found out Rose had sabotaged the place?

"It doesn't matter now, just get on the damn helicopter. Who are these two?" He asked. His military clean look was quite intimidating.

"There with me, they helped me," Rose looked at us and smiled.

"Well then get on the chopper all of ya, now!" He commanded. As one of his pilot friends started to help us on, the elevator doors had opened again. A group of kids had saw us escaping and they wanted on too. The poorly clothed sympathetic kids I saw this morning had turned into dirty, blood thirsty savages. They began to shoot at us but the elite squad, though outnumbered, attempted to fight them off. Rose's father had shouted at us to get on the chopper.
We tried to lift August onto the helicopter but neither of us had the physical strength to do so. The co-pilot said he could lower the ramp for disabled people but we were wasting time. The helicopter had already started to get off the ground, landing completely would've surely wasted even more time. We couldn't get August onto the helicopter and were getting higher and higher. Rose started getting concerned about her father, who was attempting to fight off the horde of kids. More of the monsters had appeared from the elevator and they were all trying to jump onto the chopper.

"Chuck, just go! NOW!" Her father exclaimed, to which the Pilot obeyed.

"August!! Hang on!! Is there a rope or something!?" I was frantic, I couldn't think clear enough to figure out a plan.

"June just go! Take this!!" August shouted, he threw me his satchel. Rose was screaming for her father a d was just as frantic as I was. We were about twenty feet in the air, we knew it was too late for them. I reached out to August who laid on the helipad covered in blood, half conscious. He gave me the "look" again, the look that everything would be okay. We were high above them and as we started to move away from the building, I saw one of the monsters jump on top of August. It was too much of a blur to see what happened then. Rose was crying in her hands, devastated and hopeless, just like I felt.

The building grew smaller in the distance. I had no clue as to what happened to everyone: August, Rose's dad, nobody. It was all a mystery now. Rose had passed out from exhaustion and probably stress. I sat back, gathering my thoughts. I looked below and saw the fields of devastation and pointlessness, above me was no different. The skies were painted with blues and grays. What had we come to? Those kids, who I thought were heroes had become just like Them: emotionless, angry, apathetic. They had become subjected to the violence and cruelty that we all hated this morning. I guess that's just how the cycle goes, no matter how pure we think we are, there's darkness inside us all. Even if its just a tiny bit, it grows and absorbs us. Some know how to control it, some fall into it. The darkness had taken over those kids, genuine pure souls a few hours ago and now they were just like the people we hated the most. It tore me apart inside to think of it.

Then I looked at August's satchel, his picture of Julie, his pocket knife, a pocketwatch and his notebook of doodles. It even made me smile. I knew August was better now, he was with Julie. They could finally be together. Even if I didn't get a chance with August, he had the love of his life waiting for him. What did I have though? I loved my sister and my mother but...I would just have to keep living in the ruins of the country. Fighting for survival trying to live each day like it could very well be my last. I didn't want it, I couldn't be reminded of all the lives that were lost, all the madness that had happened, and the lives that were ruined. Then what? One day I have my own kids and they get put through this. No, I didn't want to go through this again.

I looked below again, we were above a lake. The crisp blue waters looked peaceful and comforting. I kneeled to the edge of the helicopter and looked down. I could see the reflection of the helicopter in the water. I saw some fish swimming around, it made me jealous of them. To be able to swim around all day with no worries, just swim around in the water all day, it would be bliss. I looked back to Rose, who was waking up. She looked at me, I could see she was confused. I dropped a tear and only spoke two words "the water." I heard Rose gasp but wasn't sure why she did. I felt the cool air carry my body, my hair flowing like a bird in the breeze. I saw just the sky above me and the gray clouds and the large pine trees dominating the other trees. A snowflake fell on my nose and I smiled the snowflake had gotten rid of all my worries. I felt the hands of Poseidon comfort me. His hands enveloped me and dowsed my hair. The warmth of the currents were like a blanket and I just wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep like I was in my own bed. The fish swam past me and I swear I could've reached out and actually touched one.
The lights from above made the water even more beautiful. I felt tired and drowsy, I felt the real world slip away and my unconscious take over. It felt wonderful, like all the horrible memories and experiences were dripping away.
Is life just our own purgatory? Are we forever doomed to suffer the so called "real life" and then just fade off into another world. Is real life just a test? If we make good decisions, we go to Heaven and if we make bad ones we go to Hell. How could we be sure? Or what if, this world was a Hell, but when we die we go to a Heaven like place and live peacefully? There's also the theory that we could die...and that's it. We just die.
Life has no meaning and we just die. I like that theory, then we can make whatever decision we want with no consequences. It makes dying seem easier, we wont be scared of being judged on our lives.

What we fear the most of course, is whats beyond life, and is there life after death?