by Jodie Kobe
Chapter nineteen
V I V I A N
The video begins, and my heart starts pounding.
The scene begins in a public location. There are loud crowds looking up at a stage and cameramen running around. I do not see myself yet.
The camera switches to a view of the stage, where a wooden podium stands. There are two people dressed in black on either side of the podium. Bodyguards. Behind them, there is a door.
It opens.
I hold my breath.
A tall man steps out, wearing a perfectly neat, black suit. The camera zooms in, and my ears pop as soon as I see his resemblance to Rob. The same brown hair, the same round nose. That’s his father.
This is the man I killed. This leader. Thomas Garmin.
My grip on the tablet tightens as I grit my teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mr. Welds watching me.
In the video, Rob’s father—Thomas—walks over to the podium. The two body guards by his side salute him. They have blank expressions on their faces.
My lungs shrink.
I recognize one of the body guards, but not the other one.
Short stature. Brown hair. Pale face.
It’s me. Vivian. I’m one of the body guards.
My heart is racing fast now, keeping rhythm with my trembling hands. The tablet shakes right along with them.
Here I am.
Me, looking so different.
Vivian’s (in the video) hair is pulled up in a ponytail.
She’s so close to the man she’s going to kill. If she moved her arm slightly to the left, she would be able to touch him.
What’s going through her head? How is she feeling? Her expression is unreadable. There is no fear, no happiness, and no sadness on her face.
Thomas sets a sheet of paper down onto the podium, promptly clearing his throat. A microphone is attached to his ear, and when his voice resonates from the hidden speakers, the noise of the crowd ceases.
The camera zooms out until I can see Thomas' entire figure as well as the two body guards'.
The leader starts with a speech. He clears his throat and begins with a loud voice, “We are gathered here today in honor of Independence Day. Before we celebrate, I want to remind each and every one of you of the incident that has occurred. You are all aware of the increase in the rebellion members. We don’t want our country to fall…”
I’m not paying attention to his words anymore. My attention has gone to Vivian in the video. Her hand is slowly curling into a fist.
I brace myself for what’s about to happen...but there's nothing yet.
I continue to wait, barely listening to Thomas' speech.
Vivian’s eyes start to scan the crowd, and I'm sure she's waiting for a signal of some sort.
Rian had been a member of the rebellion. Was he in the crowd somewhere?
In the video, the sudden sound of a gunshot stirs the crowd. They scatter, their panicked cries vibrating the tablet in my hands. In the middle of it all, a fire has started.
The camera switches back to Thomas and the two body guards. The leader's speech stops just as soon as his face goes pale.
Vivian is still standing in place, unmoving. The other bodyguard by Thomas’ side is still too.
I wait for something to happen. How many seconds are left before—?
Vivian moves.
She twists around to come face to face with Thomas, pulling something out from behind her back simultaneously.
A gun.
She presses it to Thomas’s forehead and...
She shoots.
My hands go weak, and I nearly drop the tablet in my hands.
Thomas’ body flies backward from the force of the bullet, and he crumples to the floor. He’s dead...and I am responsible.
In the video, Vivian has already started running. The door Thomas had walked through bashes open for her. She slips through it before anyone can react. The camera goes black. I don’t know what happened to Vivian after that.
I start thinking it’s the end of the video, but a few seconds later, the screen on the tablet lights up again.
A woman stands in front of a camera, a microphone in her hand. She’s wearing a gray blouse with a matching skirt. A blue bar appears on the bottom of the screen. Her name is written across it.
She is a reporter.
Tears stain her eyes but she doesn't raise a hand to wipe them. Her knuckles have turned white from clutching the microphone hard. When she speaks, her voice cracks.
“Thomas Garmin’s assassination has taken a turn in our generation. People are—” she sniffs and points at the crowd behind her “—going wild in the crowds. Garmin didn't die with nothing. He has the support of his people. Police are doing everything they can to track down the murderer. Evidence points that the group who calls itself Chaos is at fault. They have caused this chaos in our city, therefore they have to be eliminated.”
The screen goes black again but this time, the video has ended.
I’m staring at the tablet while Mr. Welds watches me.
I feel sick. My head is spinning and I think I’m going to vomit. The tablet falls from my hands and onto the desk next to me. I will myself to take deep breaths, but the image is still stuck in my mind.
I killed him.
Mr. Welds tilts his head. “Would you like to see your own murder?”
I swallow, about to shake my head. But yes, I want to see it.
I nod.
“Ms. Clancy, it is obvious you can’t take this. Perhaps at a later time?”
“I do.” I nod again. “I do want to see the other video.”
Looking hesitant, Mr. Welds reaches behind the desk, pulling out another small flash drive. “These are shortened versions of the full video. “
I take the flash drive from him with trembling hands, wishing this to be some kind of sick joke. Once the tablet is back in my hands, I insert the small device.
A window pops up. I click the screen and clench the tablet as hard as I can.
The video begins in a crowded place again. There is a stage, but it's not the same one Thomas Garmin stood on. A large crowd stands below the stage, yelling protests I can't understand.
Five people have been lined up on the stage. They are on their knees, hands chained behind their backs.
A male figure stands in front of them, but I don’t know who he is. The camera doesn’t focus on his face. However, it does pass over each of the five people’s faces. They look tired and frightened at the same time.
I clench my teeth hard as I realize who two of the five people are.
Rian...and me.
In the video, I'm right next to him. We exchange glances, and both of our expressions look as if we are ready to welcome death. That thought brings tears to my eyes. I use the back of my hand to wipe them.
I can’t just die.
But I did, and I can’t redo it.
Another man appears. He stands behind one of the chained people—a woman who’s looking down at the ground.
I can’t breathe anymore as he grabs her by the neck and pulls her head back. The dark figure who hasn't shown his face yet walks up to her. A large knife is in his hand.
I hold back a scream as he drives it through the woman's heart three times, splattering red on the stage. She collapses, her mouth wide open.
The unknown figure calmly moves on to the next person. He does not hesitate, and he does not say anything.
No one is fighting back. They are just watching.
Rian is next in line.
But I can’t take this anymore. I drop the tablet onto the desk just as I hear a female voice scream Rian's name. My voice.
I scramble for the door, tears streaming down my face.
Why did I think I could watch this?
But Mr. Welds wants me to keep watching it because he calls, “Don’t you want to see the face of your murderer?”
