Coaster (18 page)

The man swayed slightly and then yelled. “Your honor, it’s not my fault
that I had to do this. I planned it for a year. I worked at the park for four months learning the way the security worked. I was smart. I got an extra uniform so I could blend in. I took an impression of the keys that let you into the rollercoaster's gates. I thought it all through. I studied this corporation. Do you know how many people they let go in the last four years without any benefits or pension? We are broke and floundering and they keep filling their coffers. Where is the justice? I planted that bomb; it’s easy to learn how to make it. I brought it in and left the pieces in the lockers around the park....”

The courtroom was buzzing as the press
took in everything the convicted man was saying. His attorney was pulling him by the arm saying, “Stop talking, you’re ruining my chance at appeal.”

But Randolph Triviana wouldn’t be silenced any longer.
He continued his enraged diatribe with eyes that were wide and bloodshot. “I hid in the bathroom and waited until two in the morning because then the security would be sitting in their warm office drinking coffee and not watching the back section of the park where the coaster was. I had studied where to put the device so that it would kill them all instantly. It wasn’t something I just thought up on a whim, this took time and precision to pull off. But it was easy to set it up without anyone seeing me. I left by the back of the park and no one ever knew I’d been there. I even continued working at the park for another week before quitting.”

As Randolph Triviana ended his rant there was a moment of silence before t
he press started screaming questions at him. The judge slammed his gavel down again and again. “That will be enough. Mr. Triviana, I think you should listen to your attorney and silence yourself. Sentencing will be in one week. Bailiff please remove this man from my courtroom.”

Roger Merit was far away from the courthouse today. He was far away from anything having to do with the legal system, law, or courts.
He looked to his left at Vanessa La Rosa and said, "Ready?"

She shook her head. "You know you're sick, right?"

Roger looked shocked. "What?"

The voice came on. "Okay riders, keep your hands and fingers in the ride at all time
s and make sure to scream a lot. Ready?"

The ride moved forward and both Roger and Vanessa
put their arms in the air as the car chugged up the steep grade before them. As they got to the top they grabbed each other's hands as the coaster released and sent them straight down the hill. Their screams were lost in the drop but Roger and Vanessa's hands never came unclasped.

             
                                          The End