Collin

Part 2

This is bad. This is really bad. I clutch the small device and pace around the room. Why would she leave? That guy could still be looking for me. I don't know how far she goes whenever she leaves. What if she doesn't get here in time if there's someone here? And with that I hear Mila outside,
"Sheriff Nelson please, he was presumed dead years ago." Sheriff Nelson? Is he here? I haven't heard that name in ages, then it all comes back to me.
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I sat by Mila on the back of an ambulance as we got checked over by the paramedics, The flashing lights strained my eyes. We heard Sheriff Nelson call to us,
"Are you two okay?" He said rushing over. He was always close with our family as well as others in this small town. He wasn't too fond of me though, as I've had a bit of a reputation of trouble since I was little.
"Yeah we're okay, just a little shaken," Mila said in response.
"How did this happen?" Nelson asked. Mila subtly glanced at me. I stayed quiet.
"We don't know..." She lied. Nelson just sighed as he looked to the remains of the house. What was once a welcoming home was now the focal point of everyones conversations. Nelson speaks up again,
"Where are your parents? Are they alright?" Mila looked down.
"They haven't found them yet..." she said quietly.
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I lean up against the boarded window to get a better listen.
"Than who did I see today, smashing my window for the second time?" Said the man, I assume is Sheriff Nelson. "Is this where you've been hiding him?" He yells, their voices getting closer and closer. I look down at the small device in my hand,
"Sorry little guy, you're time of use will be postponed." I say, tossing it to the side. I hear a banging on the door and my body shoots from the window to the middle of the room. I try to hide but all my suppressed fears are reaching their hands up through the floor and gripping my ankles in place. I start kicking to break from its grasps but before I get the chance to run, the door breaks open and in like a freight train comes the man who played the shortest game of cat and mouse, Sheriff Nelson.
"You," he says in a scratchy chest voice. I slowly step back while Nelson storms towards me, grabbing my throat and slamming my tall slender body against the back door of the bus. I wince as a sharp pain grows in my shoulder. Mila follows behind yelling in protest, her voice cracking. "You did this to them!" He yells. My parents. Nelson pulls me from the wall and throws me to the side. I grip my shoulder and my hand feels my damp sleeve. I feel numbness throughout my arm.
"As for you." He says pointing his finger in Mila's direction. "You knew what he did. You had the nerve to grieve with the rest of us while protecting the very reason they are gone!" He yells grabbing her by the arm. His knuckles white from the pressure of his grip. He can beat on me all he wants, but no way I hell will he get away with putting his hands on her.
"This guy's crazy," I think to myself stumbling to my feet. With all the strength I have, I picked up a broken metal rod from one of the few remaining bus seats. Just like my daily rounds, I lift my arm ready to swing. At they very moment, Nelson turns to me, raising his arm and Mila screams. I feel pressure in my chest and my ears start ringing. Everything moves in slow motion. My mind is too chaotic to process the events unfolding or how it will end, but all I'm able to think about is my parents. They were such great people, we were so happy. It was all my fault.
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In my sophomore year of high school we had a lesson about forest fires and the risks during dry seasons. I always found fire intriguing. The way they looked, how it could fill a room with light. How easily it could spread. I wanted to see a giant fire. When I got home from school, I flew down to the basement and pulled out my science notebook. I flipped to my notes on the potassium permanganate and glycerin experiment we did last week. I wanted to see a giant fire. And I did.
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They're gone and it's my fault. I never got better. I never followed Mila's rules. I've caused her so much stress and put her life on hold, I want her to be happy but I'm not capable of that. And I never will be.
I look at Mila, her face is puffy as tears wet her skin and her curly mane falls in front of her face. She always took care of me; I am her baby brother after all. I always admired her strength. I hope she doesn't blame herself. My eyes fall to her sweatshirt pocket where her keys were spilling out. A small plastic keychain with a photo inside. A petite girl with big doe eyes and crazy curls just like Mila.
My hearing is muffled. My back slams on the floor, my hand losing grip of the metal. My chest gets heavy.
They're gone and it's my fault.