Thirteen

 

Because of my second of hesitation before pushing the don’t move command into the High Chancellor’s mind, I worried, for a moment, that I was too late.  Had his mind already commanded his body to fire? Was Yixing about to die next to me because I had been too slow?    There was a beat of silence, and nothing happened.    “Min, he’s fighting your commands,” Moonkyu muttered, jolting my arm. “Hurry, we don’t have much time to get out. The whole building is being destroyed and it’s going to collapse if we stay in here too long.”   With a gulp, I directed the High Chancellor to point gun away from Yixing, and Yixing let out a sign of relief. Slowly, I had him bring the gun up to his own temple.    “Do it, Min,” Moonkyu urged, looking around nervous as we felt a small shake go through the building. “Now!”   All of the people I had caused to die in the past weren’t directly ever killed by me. I simply commanded them to touch Jongdae, or to go jump off the roof of the nearest building. However, having the High Chancellor standing in front of me like this, watching as his eyes widen in terror, though unable to stop his own body from the commands given by his own unwilling brain, was a whole different experience.    I clenched my fists, fighting back tears. Then I thought of Yixing, who the High Chancellor almost just killed in cold blood. I thought of my adoptive parents, who no longer knew that I existed. I thought of my friends back in District 4, and school, and how much I missed living normal life as a student with my brother. I even thought about Jongin and his ex-girlfriend, as well as the rest of his family. I thought about the other guys, the ones who had dreams for the future, like Lu Han who had wanted to be a soccer player, Joonmyun who had wanted to be a teacher, and Yixing, who had been pulled out of med school. Then, I just felt plain angry.    “You don’t mess with me, or my family,” I finally growled out.   Pull the trigger.    I think the High Chancellor realised what was about to happen a second before his body reacted to the command I sent from his brain. I’d like to think that there was regret in his eyes for all his wrongdoings as leader, for making the rich richer and the poor even poorer, and for lying to the citizens. I wanted to think that there was even a miniscule grain of remorse within those dark eyes. However, I saw no guilt; only fear.    “You are a selfish coward,” I mutered, just as the High Chancellor’s fingers tightened on the trigger.    BANG.    Yixing flinched the hardest, clutching onto my arm tighter as we instinctively took a step back.    The High Chancellor swayed for a moment, eyes blank, before collapsing onto his knees, and then onto his side. Blood leaked out of the single bullet hole in his head, rimmed with a burn from the bullet being shot at such a close distance.    “Is he - ”   “Yes,” Moonkyu finished Yixing’s question, turning away. “He’s dead.”   At that moment, Joonmyun flung himself into the room. He took one look at the High Chancellor’s dead body and turned green in the face, as if about to throw up. He made a few retching sounds, but then got his stomach under control.    “We’ve gotta get out now,” Joonmyun said, purposely not looking at the body. “The rain barely just stopped and Sehun is controlling the wind but this building is going down really soon. Jongin just went back to Dr. Lee after the gunshot, and Dr. Lee is getting up a temporary government in the Intel building. He should be back any minute but we really need to move. ”   “Quickly now!” Kris snapped, as he directed us down the hallway, “Follow Kyungsoo. Jongin’s back.”   The historian still looked shocked at seeing the High Chancellor’s crumpled body. Only after my incessant shakes did he manage to tear