Addicted

He tried. He really did. But he couldn’t stop himself as he got in his new car and headed towards Illinois. He had only been hiding out in Michigan for a while. Why Michigan? Well, would you think to sweep Michigan for crazed killers? Apparently no one does because they still don’t.

He told himself he was only going because he wanted his jacket back. He was amazed that she had even gotten it back. Had she gotten her high heels as well? Had she gone back there? He hadn’t. He didn’t have the heart to go back.

The 27th was an important day for his former co-workers, too. It was election day. The outcome would be clear by 3 that afternoon. Many people do not know this, but the election is decided early on in the day. The suspense that follows where no one ‘knows’ until later that night is pure propaganda.

Had he checked his inbox incessantly for an email from Shya? Not necessarily. He really hadn’t found that many computers to use while up in Michigan, so he couldn’t. But when he had found a decent public library, he had searched through his inbox like a madman. He honestly thought that if he checked back in 3 minutes he would have missed the email he had his heart bent on.

Kyle wanted closure. Was that weird for a guy? No matter, he still wanted it. He felt awkward and unsure of himself because of that whole mess. He didn’t know if Shya had been sincere, if he had been sincere, if anyone had been sincere! Plus he kinda sorta wanted his last paycheck.

XXXXXXXXXX

-CNN News-

“Yes Dan, the ballots have been counted. Now it is up for the electoral college. We will have the results by 8 tonight.”

-ABC News-

“It’s only a matter of time before the presidential, the senate and the house races come to a final close. This will be the closest election since the 2000 elections. Both candidates have been at 49, 50 and 51 percent and their numbers have been fluctuating all week. Last time we took a look at our own, Robert Glover was in the lead by 1 percent.”

-FOX News-

“James McIntosh has been up in the polls since this morning. It is clear who will win this election by 8 tonight. And in other news, a fire in a Philadelphia ware house has been blazing since last night. It is unclear whether or not the fire was intentional or not, but we do know that it has spread to the entire block. Dow, Mac and KIS all will be put out by the damage that had been done to their stock yards.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyle still had his cell phone. He hadn’t turned it on-he didn’t know when he’d be able to recharge it again-since he had last seen Shya. But as he headed into Chicago city limits, he turned it back on. It had only lost one battery cell, which was a good thing.

Of course Kyle knew where Shya lived. She had practically told him everything, one way or another, on the internet. Hell, he could get into her house without even asking if he could come in; he knew exactly where the key was.

A half hour later, Kyle was driving to the outskirts of Chicago where he knew her home was. His phone trilled on the seat beside him. He picked it up and checked to see who was calling. If blood could freeze from emotions, then that was exactly what Kyle’s blood was doing.

“Hello?” Kyle answered.

“I understand you were taken hostage by her, but I do not understand why you have not returned.” His boss told him.

“I can’t return at the moment.” Kyle lied. “She uh, she told the police everything about me. You guys, too. I’m kinda hiding out for a while.”

“Hide out closer to D.C. We will need a getaway car after we finish out with our plans. I trust you got a new car?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Kyle asked, glancing around the car for a tracker device.

“Because your marker is going pretty fast on my screen.” His boss replied. Kyle cursed silently. Damnit, how was he going to get to Shya’s house and not look suspicious now?

“Anyway, be in D.C. by 8 o clock tonight. Our dearly beloved president will be assassinated before he even has the chance to raise his hand for the pledge.”

“What?” Kyle gasped, almost swerving out of his lane. “I thought we wouldn’t be able to do that anymore!”

“Oh no,” His boss sneered, “We can, and we will. This nation will not be tainted. Have a good drive back.” His boss hung up, leaving Kyle hanging.

He couldn’t think for a second. All his thoughts were bunching up together, so there was no way to keep them straight.

Shya…probably didn’t know her brother was going to be shot. Her brother probably didn’t, either. How could they shoot the president? Robby hadn’t even really done anything!

See, over the past week, Kyle had been alone. And while he had been alone-with the exception of chasing some kid down because he took his wallet-he had a lot of time to think.

Yet he still couldn’t reason with himself as to why he had let Shya escape. Love? Of course not. Love was for people who didn’t have a job like him. Was it because he secretly wanted out of his job then? Well, no. He liked his job. Of course, after all this he didn’t find it too appealing, but it was his job nonetheless; he was good at it.

Perhaps it was just because he’d been feeling…a bit out of touch with himself? Like, if he sabotaged his own job he’d have to run and hide out for a while, thus giving himself some time to think.

And finally, as he pulled into Shya’s long country gravel driveway, he realized what he had been trying to get all along.

He really was not cut out for killing people. Yes, he was good at it, yes he’d done it before, but he had always made it a point to not know the person. And now the he knew how it felt like to be on the other end of the barrel, he wasn’t all that interested in killing people.

He wondered if Shya would want to go out for coffee. Maybe she’d have cooled off since their last encounter. He certainly had. But as an inevitable feeling of guilt swelled in his chest, Kyle put that out of his mind. She would hate him if her brother was killed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shya was sitting on the couch, watching the TV and the elections. Her brother had left for D.C. early that morning, and she was rooting him on here. She had insisted that she couldn’t bear to be there at the moment. It was almost 3. Shya would get the phone call for the results of the election promptly at 3:05.

She had left Kyle’s jacket out on the porch on an old rocking chair. She figured he wouldn’t want to talk to her, because, to be honest, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to him. She wasn’t sure if she’d be mad at him or not.

So she had left the jacket outside and holed herself upstairs so Kyle wouldn’t have to talk to her. That is, if he didn’t want to. She would talk to him if he wanted to talk.

Kyle pulled up to the large garage and got out, surveying the land Shya and her brother owned. It was rather nice property-for Chicago. Putting his hands in his pockets, he strode towards the front porch, where he already spied his jacket, neatly folded.

He picked it up and felt the rough material in his hands. Like a guilty puppy, Kyle rang her doorbell and waited.

Shya, who had heard his car come into the driveway, practically sprinted down the stairs to greet him. But right before she got to the door, the phone rang. She had to pick that up first.

“Ms. Glover speaking.” She spoke into the phone as she opened the door and waved at Kyle. This was good, she thought, that she didn’t have to say anything at first. It’d be less awkward.

Kyle waved back and pointed to his jacket. He mouthed ‘thank you to her’. She smiled at him, listening to an official person blabbering on the phone. She didn’t care who else had won! She just wanted to know about the presidential race!

“And finally, we are very happy to inform you, Miss Glover, that your brother will be in office for the next four years.” Shya couldn’t help herself. She let out a scream of delight and jumped up and down. Kyle, who had been about to turn around and go, turned back to gaze at her.

“Thank you.” Shya replied into the phone, trying to remain professional. “I will be there by tomorrow for my brother.” She hung up, but still held the phone in her hand.

“Kyle, he won!” She cried. She almost felt a bit smug. “He won! He won and I didn’t die! Nobody died! This is awesome!”

He couldn’t help it; his guilt was rising and if he didn’t say something…

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this! I wish my parent’s were still around; they’d be so happy for Robby!”

He had to say it. But why couldn’t he form the words? Damn, why did she have to look so happy?

“Whoo, sorry about that Kyle. I’m just so excited!”

Just say it…she’d be glad to know this. She’d call him up and they would be okay.

“So…um, there’s your jacket.” Shya looked up at Kyle, concerned. “You okay? You look a bit frustrated. I mean, I know it sucks for you guys that my brother won but don’t worry, he won’t fucking kill the nation! I wouldn’t let him do that. For all his luck, he’d end up being ordered around by-.”

“Shya, we got no time.” Kyle finally said. “You gotta get to D.C. right now. My boss is still gonna kill him.”

Well. If that didn’t put a damper on things, Shya didn’t know what could. She dropped the phone, not even sorry that it broke open and the batteries and some wires spilled out.

“What?” She repeated. “No, you’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not kidding.” Kyle replied anxiously. “But you gotta believe me, I got nothing to do with this! I’ve been out in the middle of nowhere! They planned this all on their own! Shya, we gotta get there by 8 or he won’t be in too good a condition.”

“No.” Shya told him, already running back up the stairs and leaving him in the doorway. She had to get some boots on. She’d need to get on the first plane possible. Or train. The underground bullet loop from Chicago to New York, D.C., and Cleveland would be quickest by now.

“You are not coming with me!” She shouted down the stairs. “I don’t care if you had anything to do with it or not, you’re not getting near my brother. I’ve got to tell him on my own, without some guy who almost killed me around!”

“Call him!” Kyle cried as he climbed the stairs as well. “Tell him he’s gotta watch his back and you’ll be there in like, 3 hours.” Shya realized how he had said ‘you’, but she kept that to herself. If Kyle wasn’t going to be fight back against her wishes, well then great. It’d be a hell of a lot easier to get there. She turned around to tell him he needed to go and was surprised to see him standing at her door. He glanced around her room, taking in the excellent interior designs.

“Oh.” She blushed and moved away from the door. “Well, Kyle you’ve got to head on out now. But um…before you go, I’d just like to confirm that you are safe. I never told the police about you.” She smirked. “Besides, if it got out to the media that I had been secretly seeing a man online, they’d have a hay day.” Kyle shrugged.

“Thanks. Why didn’t you, though? I thought you would have.”

“As did I,” Shya said, “But then I just…didn’t.” She looked away from him. “I guess I forgot about you.” Kyle rolled his head back and smiled at nothing in particular.

“It’s always being forgotten that saves the few who deserve it.” He told her passionately, obviously quoting it from somewhere, but he didn’t enlighten her with that detail. Shya didn’t even get it really, so she smiled at him sweetly and grabbed a light parka.

“All right, let’s go.” She said. “We’re gonna have to take the bullet loop to D.C.”

“Why don’t you take a plane?”

“Because it’s about 3 o clock, and there’s a lot of traffic around the airport at this time. It would take me two hours just to get a ticket. Plus the train only takes about 2 hours to get there. It’s so much faster.”

“Yeah,” Kyle grumbled as they went back downstairs, “cos they can go about 200 miles per hour underground with nothing around to hit.”

“239, actually.” Shya corrected him as she locked her door behind them. Kyle grimaced. No one needed to go so fast. It was totally inhuman.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked her as they got into his car. Shya tugged at her seatbelt uncomfortably, hating how it felt against her collarbone. She shrugged.

“Not really,” She replied, “But I definitely don’t want to let Robby get shot. I…We’ve got to stop them, Kyle. I mean, if you don’t mind. I’ll probably need some inside help.”

“You want me to help you?” Kyle inquired, backing out and turning onto the main road. “Wow, what’s gotten into you? Last time I saw you, you weren’t interested in letting me help at all!” Shya smiled, but it didn’t hide her anxiousness to get to the Train.

“Well, I’ve changed a lot since then. Now come on, hurry! If anybody pulls over I’ll just show them my ID. They’ll let us off the hook.”