13

That little shit thinks he’s so tough. My hands are working autonomous as they cock the hammer to my father’s service pistol. The weight feels just right in my hands. I remember the day he first showed me how to shoot. Last summer I was tossed out of bed and dragged to the shooting range. My dad has enough connections that they didn’t care I was so young. It was Sam and my Dad there that knew everybody.

I was given a pistol and shown how to load it. I followed his instructions to the point. I knew if I didn’t I’d get smacked. He had me shooting and reloading, again and again.

“You’re not going home until I see some good shots from you. It took Sammy all day to get it right. We’ll sit here as long as it takes,” he told me. The other guys my dad knew left and then it was just us. Hours passed, I still hit about as many shots as I missed. And each one I missed Sam shoved my back against the wall.

“Come on. Just make it already.” I fired the gun. It missed the target completely. Another shove.

“Come on boy,” My dad said. “You’re not going to earn your keep firing like that.” I shot another, it grazed the target’s torso.

“That was just as pitiful.” I took a deep breath and held the gun in both of my hands. I pulled the trigger and watched the hole emerge from the target’s forehead. “...manageable. Hit another five just like that and we’ll see about getting some food.”

I fired the gun, missing it completely. The day stretched into forever as finally I hit six shots in a row. It was eleven at night and my big reward was a big mac from McDonald’s. I sat down in my bed until the next day came and we started it all over again. Ever since then every weekend is spent with my dad and brother shooting until I make six shots in a row, then ten, then twenty.

It’s been two years since then, and now they’re not satisfied until I can make a hundred shots in a row. They don’t mind the prices, the army’s kept my dad well paid. I’m sure I could hit two hundred now if I so chose, but the thought of missing a single shot and starting all over wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. That’s why the gun I’m holding now excited me a whole lot more. I only needed to make a few shots and that was that.

That stupid motherfucker Aldoun got me suspended. All because he couldn’t take a few jokes and took my seat. What a pussy. My dad wasn’t happy when the principal told him what happened. I wasn’t happy, either, but he was more than not happy.

“Have I taught you nothing? You’re going to stain my name with this horseshit...just like your brother did at your age.”

I rubbed my face where the headache was still settling. It was sore, but would be fine in time. The pistol felt heavy in my hands. The house would be empty until Dad got home from work later in the day. Sam was out at a friend’s place for the week so the only other soul inside the house with me was Ruger, the family pit bull. I didn’t care much for the mutt. He always scratched at the door and whined. I hated taking care of him. I held the gun up and pretended like the dog was right in front of me, but then let my arm fall.

No, the dog was annoying, but it didn’t deserve to die. I slid the pistol into my jeans and lifted my sweater over the top. I made my way out of the front door. Sam’s truck was parked in the driveway. He usually stole a ride anywhere he needed to go, and let me say I’m more than thankful for his laziness.

I open the front door and pull the seat closer to the front. Now it’s my turn to be thankful for my dad’s alcoholism. Because of his stints at the bar I learned how to drive. Sam was still away for the navy, so it was just me and Dad. He’d bring me along to sit in the car and wait for him to stumble out to the passenger seat and he’d just tap the console twice and say, “Alright that’s enough.”

Now ain’t it some irony that my dad gave Sam his own truck to have as a present. I sit up in the seat. I’m big for my age, but I’m able to just reach the peddle with my foot with the seat propped all the way forward. Sam always leaves the key in the ignition, says he isn’t afraid of anybody stealing the truck because they’d get cold lead shoved promptly up their ass. I personally would think if someone was able to get away with a truck a single pistol wouldn’t do much to scare them, but hey, it’s his truck. And now I’m taking it. Ain’t it funny how life works out sometimes?

I turn on the ignition and throw the truck into drive. The gun is now touching my bare skin. I’m shaking as the potential quivers against my body. It’s time to rock and roll. I’ll make this stupid field trip one that nobody will ever be able to forget.

14

I was surprised to see what looked like a party bus sitting out in the school’s parking lot. It looked to be twice as large as the normal school bus that I was used to. We never had the money to spend on buses like this when I was these kids’s ages. I had actually never been on one of these kinds. So when I stepped on board I was shocked to see that the seats were able to recline, and not only that, but there were screens built into the back of each seat. “This...is crazy,” I said, looking down the aisle.

“Keep it moving,” Mr. Krest said from behind, “...we need to get everyone inside.”

I nodded and fund a seat near the center of the bus and sit down. The seat is a bit rough and uncomfortable and it only slightly reclines, but it beats the normal seats by a long shot. Everyone else finds a place to sit and Mr. Krest begins reminding everyone about the schedule, as if it’s hard enough to remember.

We’re leaving here at eight in the morning and traveling all the way down to the Miami coast. We’ll be there after a day of travel where we’ll dismount and spend tomorrow at the park, then come back up Sunday just in time for classes to resume Monday morning.

Everything seems fine until Anna’s piercing scream shakes us all. I turned back to see what could have caused such a primal sound. She’s breathing heavy and looking at each of us.

“Is...is everything okay?” Mr. Krest asked.

“Y...Yeah...” Anna said, looked over one final time and then sat back down next to Stacy. How odd.

“Okay then, we’ll try to keep it down for anyone who decides they want to catch up on some sleep. We’re going to be heading out now and we won’t be stopping for another three hours. Now does anyone have to use the bathroom before we take off?” Nobody raised their hand. “Okay, looks like we’re good to go.” Mr. Krest nodded at the bus driver.

This sounded like the perfect time to catch some sleep before we got there. I’m sure as we get closer I’m not going to be able to sleep a wink. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

15

I found their stupid bus. It wasn’t hard. I drove by the school and managed to see them just as they were leaving. I had to take a detour on Aviation Ave because there was a state trooper lounging about. I am not letting some dumb ass cop stop me from this now.

I found them again easily enough. I caught up to them on I-87 headed south. The rear end of the bus doesn’t leave my view. We’re driving together down the interstate for thirty minutes when we cross the final exit headed toward Pennsylvania. The gas in the truck is nearing its end. Dad always kept two canisters in the back of his truck for an emergency, but I’m going to run out of those before we even come close to Florida. I have to think of something that will keep me on my path. God, think dumbass, think. And a terrible idea comes to me, but it is the only one that will work. There is no turning back.

16

I’m in total darkness. The depths of my slumber have brought me to a void where no light has ever known. Sometimes I call this void my heart when I’m feeling particularly edgy. The truth of this void is the darkness that I find myself in ever since my first encounter in someone else’s body. It was a darkness that frightened me at first. It took control away from me and that was the thing I was most close to.

As the years went on I became less afraid of the darkness and grew to use it to my advantage—for the advantage of those I tried to save. I tried to tame it as if it were a pet that had stumbled into my life. For a short time I felt like I understood the beast and it understood me. We had a sort of pact that we both honored. I gave it control and I helped whoever it was I could.

But that day I entered Danny was the day I broke that pact. The darkness abandoned me except for these dreams. This afterthought of a vengeance that it harbors against me for betraying it.

If I was an optimist I’d say this darkness was my good nature. It was my heroism and my heart—the idea that I could make a real difference in other people’s lives, but that darkness didn’t ask me to be its partner. It didn’t ask me to take control. I never broke a pact because a pact was never formed. I was taken again and again without my consent for the benefit of other people to experience trauma again and again.

It was too much, and the darkness asked for too much. And now that I have broken free from it I fear that if I act as I always acted the darkness will find me and take me back under its wing. I cannot let that happen.

As I stand here in the darkness I see two figures slide into view. They are Ellie and Anna, but why? I don’t get an answer. The both of them grab for their throats as pieces of them begin to rip apart into the darkness. They both reach out for me, but I turn. Behind me stands a gigantic wall of light. I start to walk closer to the light. Behind me there’s a scream that sounded similar to Anna’s, and I turn to see Evan yelling and reaching for his own throat.

I’m shaken awake as the sound of his screaming carried into the waking world—he was really screaming. Mr. Krest had dashed from the front of the bus to his seat just behind mine. I tried to turn around but with how awful my sleeping position had been it really wrecked my back.

“Okay Mr. Parker, you don’t seem to be hurt in any way, don’t go scaring the class like that again or we’ll have to call your parents to come pick you up.”

“I...” Evan blurted out. “I don’t...understand.”

Mr. Krest sighed and stood back up. “Everything’s fine everybody. Continue as you were. About ten minutes until our first stop.”

We came to a stop at a small rest area near Lenox and I head off the bus to stretch my body. The others follow behind with Ben coming closer up to me. “God help me I’m not built for anything longer than a two hour car ride.”

My back cracks and I turn to him, “Chin up. We’re not even a quarter of the way there.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” He stretched his neck. “Hey, wanna come get something from McDonald’s with me?”

The thought terrified my older self. Just thinking what one of those greaseburgers would do to my body almost had me saying no straight away…but I didn’t. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good, let’s go tell Mr. Krest.” We did and he told us to make sure to stay with the buddy system, whatever that was. We went inside the rest stop and all kinds of people were walking past us. Nothing like a universal need for junk food and to pee to bring a whole bunch of people together. There was three people standing in line at McDonald’s, so we stepped in right behind the old man at the back.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Kinda weird what happened with Anna and Evan, don’t you think?” Ben asked. “Well, I mean Evan would totally do something like that so I guess just Anna.”

I shrugged, “I dunno, maybe they’re just not used to being away from home this long. Evan did seem a bit off during his episode.”

“Oh yeah you were right in front of him, yeah?” He looked to me.

“Yeah, he seemed really out of it. Does he...”

“Does he...what?” Ben asked.

“Smoke anything? Do anything like that?”

“What? No, not as far as I know. I’m not an investigator on his life but I don’t think so.”

“Right, okay,” I nodded. “Yeah, then I have no answers. It just seemed strange was all. Once we get to the park things should even out.”

“Yeah, if we get to the park. It’s gonna be Christmas by the time we finally get there.”

“Oh quit your whining,” I grinned a look as I nodded to let him know he was next up at the register.

He looked over and when he saw the others had already been taken care of he jumped a little. “O-Oh yes.”

“How may I help you, pumpkin?” The middle aged woman behind the counter asked.

“Uh, yeah can I have a double cheeseburger with no pickles and no mustard?”

“And hold any of the flavor, too,” I chimed in. The cashier chuckled and gave me a look that I would have taken to be suggestive if I were as old as my mind.

I carried my bag back to the bus and climbed back inside. The smell coming from the bag was enough to remind me just how hungry I really was. I hadn’t eaten much this past week and the burgers in the bag were a grim reminder of that. I took the first out and noticed grease caked the outside of the wrapper. This kind of thing probably would kill anyone with a trace of high blood pressure. It didn’t look like the way all the commercials paint the burgers as—when do they ever—but I have to say it tasted so...good going down. I felt the potato chip effect start to kick in and I wolfed the burger down in four bites.

“You’re gonna be hungry again in a few hours if you waste em all like that,” Ben said, taking a smaller bite out of his burger and then sipping his coke.

“Yeah maybe I’ll just eat myself into a coma and then will wake up when we get there.”

He grinned and took another bite. I grabbed my second burger out of the bag and began to unwrap it. As I turned around to look I saw Anna asleep in her seat. Stacy was sitting beside her, munching on some chicken nuggets.

“Psst, Stace,” I called over.

She looked over to me with a nugget half hanging out of her mouth. She let it drop into the container and wiped her lips, “Uh, what?”

“Is Anna okay?” I asked.

She looked at me with a strange look, and then resumed eating her chicken. “Yeah, she’s fine. Just tired.”

Ben stood to look over my seat then sat back down, “Evan’s out cold too. Seems like we’re good.” I nodded, and turned back around and took the first bite of my second burger.

17

The bus took off from the parking lot just as soon as I coasted in. It has gotten dark out and my gas reserves are running low. I can’t go much farther in this stupid truck and definitely won’t make it to another rest stop.

I’m not giving up—not in the slightest. I know my way forward. I’m eyeing a truck that just pulled into a parking space just beside mine and cannot believe my luck. I throw open the truck’s door and bounce out onto the pavement with the gun gripped tightly in my hand. I fire twice and catch the mother and father in the head. Their heads fall as the life leaves them. There’s screaming coming from the inside—and I know there’s a kid in as well.

The mother falls out onto the ground when I open her door. Their daughter stared at me with abject horror. She tried to scream once more but my next shot tore through her face and splattered her blood across the back windshield. I shoved the father’s body out of the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. Good, their gas is almost nearly full. I should have a long time in this truck before I have to ditch this for another.

I had to keep my ammo in consideration. I had a box of thirty-six rounds and now three of them were gone. I stuffed the box under the passenger side seat and then dragged the daughter’s body out of the back and onto the pavement. I had to hurry as someone inside surely had called the cops by now. My plan was to not be here when they were.

I backed out and pulled back onto the highway. I’m coming for you.

18

My back didn’t feel right until the bus stopped for the last time. It was like an ache that would be forever fused to my spine based on how long it persisted. Of all the things to get flashbacks of my old life back pain was one of the least exciting ways.

I opened my eyes as we parked and the coast out of my window. It must have been sometime early Saturday. I don’t remember anything I dreamed about in the times in-between. I’m thankful it wasn’t any more of that nonsense with the others here...and I’m doubly thankful that it wasn’t anything relating to Danny. I don’t know if I could stomach another guilt dream.

Mr. Krest led us off of the bus and when we were all accounted for he nodded briskly and stood straight. “Now I know you’re all tired from sitting for so long, so you can rest assured we’re all going to be doing some walking to keep ourselves moving. We’ve got a ten minute walk to the entrance to the park where I’ll go over a bit of the park’s history and then we’ll head inside. From there we’ll begin the tour and at about ten-thirty we’ll break off from the main group to go find our lunch reservations. That’s about...three hours from now. Everyone okay with that?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m not too particularly hungry right now anyway,” Ben patted his stomach.

“Well that’s because you ate two rounds of fast food, of course you’d be full,” James said.

“You’re just jealous,” Ben grinned. “You regret not picking any up and I told you that you’d want some.”

James looked away. “It’s disgusting anyway.”

“I do not think it is bad,” Ellie said. “A little greasier than I would like, but it definitely fits the atmosphere.”

“It’s gross and good at the same time,” I chimed in. “I don’t regret getting it but I feel I might in twenty years.”

“Yes yes we can continue this conversation as we start walking now,” Mr. Krest said.

They did continue, and I didn’t offer more than my single comment. I was too focused on Evan. He seemed especially out of it since we had gotten off the bus—Anna seemed to act more normal, but Evan was still looking around all paranoid like.

We reached the entrance to the park which posed its flagship mascot Marina the dolphin on a gigantic sign out front. The pink anthropomorphic creature had a smile as big as the sign itself and held one fin out in a sort of thumbs up.

The wind started to pick up as we stopped and huddled together in a group as Mr. Krest began to tell us all about the Cressfall Resort. It was a long winded speech that boiled down to two ex-marine biologists getting the boot from their job and grasping onto any employment opportunity they could get. Eventually they settled on this—the job they ended up sticking with. The park is only a few years old now, but plans for its creation have apparently been on the tables since the early 2000s.

The entryway is a door that leads to a tunnel that extends about a hundred feet over the ocean which is supposed to lead to an elevator that goes to the true entrance of the park. I looked around and everyone looked normal, even Evan seemed to have calmed down. I smiled and felt more at ease as we walked inside.

19

I’m so close. The police know my face, my dad called in the stolen car and they found it immediately. The trail’s been obvious but I would have thought I would have had a little more room. The bus made a final right turn before parking.

I’m on the news back home, and the homes of the cities I’ve passed along the way. Twelve of my thirty six bullets are gone, and I’ve been recognized twice at gas stations. I see the bus as I come closer off of Drift Avenue. My face fills with a wicked smile and a warm chaotic laugh fills my chest. Finally. I have finally made it. I have twenty-four shots, and I’m not going to waste a single one. I want them all to have two each—one in the face and one in the groin. If they live that then I’ve still got the gun to beat them with. They aren’t going to ever fucking get the chance to smile again. Not to laugh at my expense. Not to live their shitty fucking lives.

I throw my head back and the laugh explodes out of me. I don’t immediately notice the crackling around me. The sound crackling in the air gets to me too late. I look out in front of me and then I see it out on the horizon—just about the only thing that could steal my attention away from the bus. It looked like a bomb. And for all I would know in the few moments that existed in my life that was good enough an explanation. I didn’t need to know more than that because I wasn’t going to be around for more than that. There was a sudden warmth and then a blinding light.

20

The receptionist at the front desk wore a blue wig that made her look like she was trying to be an anime character. Who knows, maybe she was—maybe the Cressfall had an extended universe with a show and games for all I knew. She was leaning over the counter scanning papers in front of her, only looking up after a minute of silence to notice we were here.

“Ah, yes how may I help you today?”

“Yes,” Mr. Krest smiled, “We’ve got a 7:45 reservation for the tour and lunch package.”

“Name please,” she said, without a question mark.

“Krest and the Queensbury School District.”

“N-New York?” She eyed Mr. Krest.

“Y-Yes,” he nodded back.

She looked at us kids and then back up to him, “Furthest I went for a school field trip was the local museum. Lucky you guys.”

“Yes, well the budget has been allowing for more—”

“Steph!” The receptionist called out to the back, “We got your 7:45 here.” She turned back toward us, “She’ll be right out, is there anything else you had any questions about?”

“No, not really,” Mr. Krest said.

“Excellent. Thank you for having a nice day at the Cressfall, where we always work hard for your smile,” and she gave a smile that couldn’t have been more forced. The worker named Steph came out from the back who was wearing a similarly-anime-styled wig but this time in Marina’s pink. She was holding a notebook under her arm and looked at us with a smile.

“Welcome everyone to the Cressfall, where I’m sure the views will take your breath away faster than the water will! Hahahaha that’s a joke everybody laugh I’m paid to make these.” I made an awkward laughing sound that joined the chorus and the smile kept going. “Okay, now if you’ll just follow me we’re going to head through this tunnel where we’ll get to experience the elevator ride down to the park. Has anyone here been here before?”

Ben raised his hand, “My mom took me for my birthday two years ago.”

“Ah, so we’ve got a return visitor, and what’s your name?”

“Ben.”

“Well Ben I hope I can make this time just as good as last time. Now everyone come follow me and we’ll get this journey started!” We started to walk behind her and passed the receptionist desk where the worker there resumed her perusing of papers in front of her. Ellie bumped into me from behind and I turned toward her.

“Hey...what—”

“Close your eyes.” She said. “When we get in the elevator just do it.”

I turned away and shook my head. Close your eyes? What…? The glass elevator opened its doors and Steph walked inside first, beckoning us to follow along. Mr. Krest shooed us in and he stepped in last. The doors closed and the elevator began to descend. The walls were made of an extremely durable glass so we could see underwater all around us as we went further down. Schools of fish of all kinds and colors darted past the glass. I had never seen anything like it in my lifetime—even with my power. If I looked up above I could see the sun overcasting the water...but then suddenly the spot the sun hung in started to grow. I squinted my eyes trying to get a closer look at it when the elevator stopped with a sudden jerk.

“Ow, someone stepped on my foot,” one voice called out.

“Ah geez sorry about that,” another called back.

“Can you please get off of me?”

“Don’t touch there you perv!”

“Sorry I literally cannot help it right now!”

The confusion began to grow as Steph’s voice grew louder than the rest, “Okay okay now! We have to stay calm, we just ran into some difficulty with the rail systems, we’ll get them back on and we’ll continue our descent.”

I was still staring above at the growing orb in the sky. The sun which looked like the size of a volleyball had grown much, much larger. And then suddenly the sphere broke and everything around grew a bright white shot out from every direction. Before anything else my hands reached up to my face to shield my eyes. There was another rough metal sound and the elevator began falling again, faster than it was before. Everything was going wrong. There was a loud crash and I was thrown off my feet.