I had gotten my ticket to the concert without my dad knowing and was now on the public bus that went down to the area where the venue was to see my two favorite bands. A Day to Remember and Of Mice & Men. It was going to be my last night alive. When I got home my alcoholic son of a bitch father was most likely going to beat me to death for sneaking out, but while i was alive I was going to enjoy jumping around to my hero’s music. I got off the bus and started to walk towards the venue. I had my hood pulled over my head partially because it was fucking cold as shit and also just in case my dad had somehow noticed that I was gone in his intoxicated state. I bumped into a few people but just kept walking because I just wanted to get to the venue as soon as possible. I finally got there and sat down in line. I was about three hours early so I started to talk to a few people sitting near me. I had a long conversation with a kid named Kyle about our imminent deaths. Kyle had huge gauges and an equally as large septum gauge and countless other piercings all around his face. “We’re all going to die of something someday so I say that we live it up while we can”
“That’s what tonight is all about for me. Living it up. I’m probably going to die tonight anyways so might as well meet some fucking awesome people and listen to some fucking awesome music.”
When Kyle asked me what I meant by this I explained that ever since my mother passed away my father (loose term) had gone slightly psychotic and became a major alcoholic. Whenever I did something that upset him, which varied from sneaking out to reminding him too much of my mom to breathing too heavily, he would abuse me. He’s come close to killing me multiple times in the past nine years.
“If there’s anything at all that I can do to help you please let me.”
“Thanks Kyle, but I’m not sure there is anything at this point.”
Just at that moment I heard an eerily familiar voice scream/slur my name. “SOphIE!!” I looked at Kyle who looked back, terrified.
“Call the cops” I took off running towards a nearby parking structure that I had to walk by on my way to the venue. No need to look back, I could hear him just fine grunting, cursing, fumbling, and galloping after me. My heart was pumping acid and I know this time he was definitely going to kill me. Once I got to the entrance to the structure I took a look back and noticed that, due to his drunken state, he had fallen behind. I quickly hid behind a silver car and waited. I knew I had to face him I just hoped that the cops would get here before then. When he reached the lot I poked my head out from behind the car to get a good up close look at him to assess the amount of danger I was in. He had a gun. Most likely the one he kept in his closet on the top shelf just in case I got ‘too out of hand’. All time stopped once I ducked back behind my silver barrier. I was not going to die. Not tonight. I heard sirens in the distance and knew it was time to face him. I shed my hoodie and jumped out from behind the car to face my father. At that point I think he heard the sirens and panicked, lunged at me and caught me in a headlock. A cold shiver was sent down my spine as he pressed the cold mouth of the gun to my forehead. It was the scenario that I had planed out so many times before except it was my hand holding the gun. I panicked at the lack of control I had in the situation and started to squirm until I felt warm breath behind my ear. "Ready to die Soph? You're such a little pain in the ass bitch just like your mother was."
"At least I get to go see her now and tell her how much of a psychotic dick you've become."
"Tell her I dont say sorry when you get to hell"
I tensed my whole body in preparation for what was about to come.
"FREZE! Dont move! Put the gun down!"
I felt the cold gun leave my forehead and then heard multiple gunshots ring out and echo throughout the enclosed parking structure. My father fell back, taking me down with him. I quickly got up and moved away from his corpse to see the hole in his head was oozing blood and the concrete floor was covered in it as well. Most normal children would freak out at the sight of their parent lying on the ground with a bullet hole in their head. I felt a surge of relief. The police had questions that I answered then they let me go. They just told me that since it was late and i had 'important' things to do they would let me come in later to sign and fill out some stuff. I didn't realize the crowd until I turned around. There were about two dozen kids standing there watching the blue body bag that now contained my father being wheeled into an ambulance. After they shut the doors their attention turned back to me. Some of them looked horrified while others almost looked proud. I walked back over to that silver car and picked up my sweater that I had left there and started to make my way back to the venue.
I was walking slowly trying to process what had just happened. My father was dead. Where was I going to stay? I need to get a job. Fuck. "You look like shit. Are you ok?" Back to reality. I quickly lost intrest in my shoes and looked up at Kyle and another boy that was partially blocked.
"Thanks." I looked down at my once white shirt and realized that it was soaked in the blood from the crime scene. "Shit I.. I didn't realize." It all hit me at once. My legs started to feel weak and I was shaking violently. Before I knew it i was knealt on the ground trying to wring and scrub the blood out of my shirt with my hands. I realized I was alone. Completely alone. I didn't mourn the father that tried to shoot me. I mourned the fact that that man could neverturn back into the dad that he was before my mother passed away. Large hands gripped mine and gently tugged them away. I looked up into the eyes of Austin Carlile and I hit the pavement.
