To End the Rapture
Chapter Two
"Wow it's busy today," my mother commented as she pulled her winter coat around her frail body. She was even thinner than I was, but I guess that wasn't saying too much. I wasn't tiny, just average. I'm 5'6'' and weigh 140 pounds. Not too bad.
"It's almost Christmas, of course it'll be crowded," I said smartly. Self-consciously, my hands shoved themselves in my pockets and I kept my eyes to the floor.
"Yes, I know but it's not usually this bad." I nodded without looking up at her. Instead, I watched my feet sway back and forth as I attempted to walk in a straight line. "Jael, watch..." The top of my head collided with the chest of somebody, causing me to bite through the very tip of my tongue. My eyes began to water.
"Sorry!" I apologized as I pulled my hands out of my pockets and held them out with realizing it. I quickly put them to my sides and stared up at the figure I'd hit.An eyebrow rose as I stared into what seemed to be charcoal eyes. He was concealed entirely in black, and had a bandana drooped across his face. He even had on a black hat. I noticed a cop standing near us, watching closely. He must be monitering them, and I really couldn't blame him. He peered down at me one last time with eyes full of angst before continuing on. His four friends dressed in the same attire followed closely behind him. The only one without a hat had a buzz cut, and he looked back at me one more time before hurrying forward. "Wow," I muttered.
"Jael, you watch yourself from now on, alright?" my mother said sternly, more of a command than a question. She took one final glance back at the group before carrying on. An uneasy bubble formed in the pit ot my stomach, causing my throat to start aching. "Alright?" she asked again.
"Of course," I anwsered, keeping the image of the mans dark lifeless eyes in my head. I hurried to catch up to my mom and walked as close to her as possible. "Where exactly are we going?"
"To Kohl's," she smiled warmly as she clapped her hands together like a young child. "We're getting us a little something before we worry about anyone else, you know what I mean?" She nudged me with her elbow in a very motherly way as she looked up at the giant Kohl's logo hanging over the department store. She began to step forward as a number of pops rang out. She looked up towards the ceiling and searched for the cause of the noise. "Sounds like they're finally building that new department store. Um, what's it called again?"
"Victoria's Secret," I chuckled, looking down the corridors at the area that the store was scheduled to be built in. I didn't see any construction and shrugged. "That's weird."
A shrill shriek echoed from the floor above. A woman stared down at us and the crowd frantically. Tears flooded from her eyes and fell, one heavy one splashing on my left shoulder. And then she cried the one line I will never forget.
"He's got a gun!"
"It's almost Christmas, of course it'll be crowded," I said smartly. Self-consciously, my hands shoved themselves in my pockets and I kept my eyes to the floor.
"Yes, I know but it's not usually this bad." I nodded without looking up at her. Instead, I watched my feet sway back and forth as I attempted to walk in a straight line. "Jael, watch..." The top of my head collided with the chest of somebody, causing me to bite through the very tip of my tongue. My eyes began to water.
"Sorry!" I apologized as I pulled my hands out of my pockets and held them out with realizing it. I quickly put them to my sides and stared up at the figure I'd hit.An eyebrow rose as I stared into what seemed to be charcoal eyes. He was concealed entirely in black, and had a bandana drooped across his face. He even had on a black hat. I noticed a cop standing near us, watching closely. He must be monitering them, and I really couldn't blame him. He peered down at me one last time with eyes full of angst before continuing on. His four friends dressed in the same attire followed closely behind him. The only one without a hat had a buzz cut, and he looked back at me one more time before hurrying forward. "Wow," I muttered.
"Jael, you watch yourself from now on, alright?" my mother said sternly, more of a command than a question. She took one final glance back at the group before carrying on. An uneasy bubble formed in the pit ot my stomach, causing my throat to start aching. "Alright?" she asked again.
"Of course," I anwsered, keeping the image of the mans dark lifeless eyes in my head. I hurried to catch up to my mom and walked as close to her as possible. "Where exactly are we going?"
"To Kohl's," she smiled warmly as she clapped her hands together like a young child. "We're getting us a little something before we worry about anyone else, you know what I mean?" She nudged me with her elbow in a very motherly way as she looked up at the giant Kohl's logo hanging over the department store. She began to step forward as a number of pops rang out. She looked up towards the ceiling and searched for the cause of the noise. "Sounds like they're finally building that new department store. Um, what's it called again?"
"Victoria's Secret," I chuckled, looking down the corridors at the area that the store was scheduled to be built in. I didn't see any construction and shrugged. "That's weird."
A shrill shriek echoed from the floor above. A woman stared down at us and the crowd frantically. Tears flooded from her eyes and fell, one heavy one splashing on my left shoulder. And then she cried the one line I will never forget.
"He's got a gun!"