“I’m not a killer”

Allisa stared at the place she had run away and traveled miles to get to. A large white building with the front windows and doors dark the back windows glowing with light. Within was her only hope. Now she just had to get past the angry mob trying to burn it to the ground. 

She moved slowly, slipping into the group of shouting people holding signs, and throwing rocks at the windows. She looked at the ground pulling her pack close against herself. Allisa knew that if they found out she was a patient they would turn on her in an instant. Some in the mob looked at her wondering why she looked like she had slept on the ground,why she was not shouting and throwing things at the building and where she was heading with her head down. None of them stopped her as she moved through the crowd.

Allisa glanced up at the doors only a short way away in front  of a line of people throwing rocks. The empty space in front of the line would be the most dangerous part,once she stepped out of the group they would know what she was. 

She squeezed through the line of rock throwers,took a deep breath and started sprinting towards the doors. Instantly people saw her, some of them realizing who she must be, started picking up rocks to throw.

“KILLER!”

She heard a rock hit the ground next to her. She shook her head at the name as more people took up the shout. “Killer”… “Shooter”…. “Merderer!”  Allisa had never killed anyone, she had never hurt anyone and she never wanted too.

I’m not a killer. She thought as she dodged another stone. I will never hurt anyone.

She slammed into the doors and pulled on the handles trying frantically to get them open only to find they were locked. The people inside had locked them in order to keep the mob out. 

“HELP! PLEASE LET ME IN! HELP!”

Allisa ducked as a rock hit the wall next to her and more rocks flew down one hitting her shoulder as she moved her hands up to defend herself. She turned to try and face her attackers, her arms getting hit by rocks as the mob’s anger grew.  

She held up her arms falling to the ground as rocks hit her and the mob shouted at her. Allisa understood their anger and she didn’t blame them for it even though she didn’t deserve it. Their fear of the shootings had become too great for them to contain and turned into this angry mob. She had come here so the fear would not corrupt her too. Anger at the mob rose inside her, anger at them for causing so much fear and attacking her but she forced it down.

Don’t be angry. Don’t hurt anyone. 

Allisa heard a grunt and a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder as someone moved between her and the mob shielding her from the rocks with their body. She looked up and saw a man in his late forties, his hair starting to gray, standing over her grimacing in pain as the rocks hit his back. 

“Quick get inside!” He said urgently and Allisa saw that the door behind her was now held open by a woman gesturing frantically for her to get inside. 

The man pulled her to her feet and shielded her as they ran through the door and the woman pulled it closed, locking it. They ran deeper into the building away from the windows and the mob trying to get in. At last they reached a room and Allisa fell to the ground trying to absorb what had just happened to her. Every inch of her was shaking.

The man knelt down next to her and moved her hair from her face. “Are you alright, miss..?”

“Allisa” She said “My name’s Allisa. I’m alright. Thank you for saving me. ”

The man smiled at her his eyes shining like stars. “Well, Miss Allisa, you just did something very brave running from the mob to get here. Where did you come from? Why did you come here?”

Tears came to her eyes at the word brave. No one ever called her that.

“I ran away. My parents refused to let me come here so I ran. I’m never going back.” She glared letting him know that she would not let them send her back home.

“They refused you any treatments?” He asked, looking concerned.

Allisa shook her head, “They said I was overreacting. Kept telling me to just get over it. Wouldn’t let me go to the doctor or anything. I’d had enough,so I ran. I came here for treatment. They say you have a way to treat it that doesn’t use medicines and stuff.”

He nodded “We do”

She sat up taking off her pack and pulled out her stack of bills,all her savings, to pay for treatment. She held them out to the man. 

“Is this enough?”

The man looked at the money shocked and shook his head pushing the money back towards her, closing her hands around the crumpled bills. “You don’t need to pay us dear. You shouldn’t have to pay for your life back.”

Allisa stared at the man shocked by his generosity and kindness. Not only had he saved her from the mob but he had also just refused her money for his help in treating her.

Just then a younger man with blonde hair opened the door and spoke to the man, his eyes wide and afraid.

“Micheal!” 

Allisa stared at the man who had saved her. This was Micheal Higgins! The man who had invented the Electromagnetic transmitter! The man who created treatment buildings that used his machines all across the country to try and stop the shootings and save people like her with mental illnesses. The man who battled to save the people like her that others thought were to be blamed for the shootings. This was the man trying to save humanity.

Micheal looked at the man who had come in. “What is it Henry?”

“They’ve gotten in! They’re breaking the door!”

Micheals face went white. He turned to the woman by the door. “We must evacuate! Get everyone out the back,to the bus, and go to the Mountain Center no one will be able to get us there.”

The woman ran out the door to spread the word. Micheal held out a hand and helped Allisa from the ground. “The mountain Center is a place for treatment that is more secluded. We can help you there where no one else will be able to get to us.”

Allisa nodded and followed him out the door toward the back door. More employees and kids walked out of the side doors going down the hall. She could hear a small boy muttering a number to himself and heard an employee saying a different one to a girl who seemed close to tears to calm her down. Allisa smiled, they were taking back control. 

A loud Crash! took her from her thoughts and she could hear shouts as people rushed into the building searching for them. The orderly evacuation fell apart as kids started rushing down the hall and employees grabbed small children and burst out the door to where Allisa could see a bus waiting with its doors open for them.

Micheal grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the doors as a man shouted from down the hall. 

“I FOUND THEM! THIS WAY!” 

Allisa ran towards the doors with Micheal close behind. She was opening the door to let him though when she saw one of the men behind them throw a packet down the hall that landed next to them. Brown with a sparking fuse close to the paper. A bomb.

“LOOK OUT!” Allisa heard Micheal say as he shoved her out the open door to the concrete letting the doors slam closed in front of him. Only to be blasted open a moment later by fire and smoke.

The heat and smoke forced her to retreat towards the bus where Henry grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bus as the doors closed and it drove away at full speed. Dodging people throwing rocks and shouting at the windows they raced through the night away from the mob. When people came up to her to see if she was alright Allisa could only say two choked words.

“He’s dead.”