BLOODLINE Episode 3 by Ironkurtain
– THREE WEEKS AGO –
Alex made his way through the empty hallway with hands in his pockets. He wore a blank look on face as he silently walked on the shiny polished floor of the bright florescent lit place that had a long row of metal lockers on both sides. A janitor is at the far end working with a mop. In his brown overall khaki, the old man, probably in his 50’s was too busy working the mop to and fro to notice the lone student approaching him.
It’s about two hours ago the school closing bell rang. Apart from Alex, the last student left about thirty minutes ago. He knew that soon the janitors will be checking the entire classrooms after cleaning for the final inspections before locking up. But it didn’t bother him. Neither did it bother him that the family chauffeur had left with his younger sisters and brother after waiting for him for almost an hour. He had told them to go without him after one of his sisters called and demanded angrily when he was going to ‘bring his butt’ to the waiting car.
The janitor paused to stretch his back and saw Alex. He stopped what he was doing and stared at him with a scowl. But that was all he could do because he didn’t know which rich family the student is from, just like most of the other students. And his years of working in a school full of rude kids from wealthy families had taught him to always report anything unusual to the school authorities rather than trying to sort it out himself. Though he preferred to ignore them in most cases.
“Are you not going home?”, he asked Alex with a grating voice as he glared at the good looking young man towering over him. The opposite of his own looks.
Alex didn’t answer the question. He just ignored the bitter looking old man and head towards the exit door leading to the stairways silently.
“Rude kids”, the janitor mutter, shaking his head as he continue with his floor mopping.
Alex gently closed the rooftop access door and looked around the rooftop cautiously. Seeing nothing but a wide empty space with a tar and gravel floor, he quietly went to the ledge of the building. The fairly bright sun was behind him. And he could feel the cool afternoon wind blowing against his face as he took off his school jacket and dropped it on the floor.
He stared down from the top of the four storey building and saw no activity going on below. Then he looked around. His position gave him a good view of the entire school compound with it’s classrooms and other building block, the playing field with it’s neatly trimmed grass turf and the school parking lot. Farther away from the hedges at the school main entrance gate is the main road with cars zooming by.
After several minutes of staring at the scenery before him with his hands resting on the waist-high ledge, Alex gently loosen his black and grey stripe neck tie that indicated he is a final year senior student in the school. Then he raised one foot on the ledge and with little effort, he heaved himself on top of the one foot wide barrier and stood on it.
He looked down and saw that he is just a step away from certain death. A step away from ending it all. And getting away from his family, the school and classmates. Before he did that, he closed his eyes and counted down. Tears tickled down his cheek as he did so.
BLOODLINE Episode 3
#OpraDre
To Be Continued….
Vamos……!!