9:30 pm, 9 hours and 30 minutes until the end of The Annual Purge.

As soon as I saw the gun, I ducked out of the way.

BANG! The shot barely missed me and it lodged itself in the pump screen! I then pulled out my own gun and fired it towards the person who shot at me.

BANG! I shot whoever it was in the leg and they fell over. Their gun dropped from their hands and they groaned in pain. I then got a good look at them. Whoever it was was wearing a scary clown mask and a full black suit and tie. He then reached for his gun.

BANG! I shot him in the chest and he stopped. I froze. I then screamed in frustration. That was the second person I killed tonight other than Mark! Not only that, but there was no reason to kill them at all! I then threw my gun to the floor and growled. After a minute, I heard the convenience store door open. I turned and saw the little girl walk towards me with fear in her face.

"Y-y-you...killed him..." she said softly when she got to me. I then sighed.

"Yeah..." I told her.

"Just like that guy that was going to hurt me..."

"Yeah... him too..."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "It's this night. It does things to you."

We then sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, she looked at me with curiosity.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I was running out of fuel," I explained.

"No, I mean outside in general," she replied. "Why are you out here instead of locked up in your home?"

I sat in silence for a few seconds before sighing.

"Do you really want to know?" I finally asked. She slowly nodded.

"I'm out here... because I'm going to kill my ex-best friend."

Her eyes widened bigger than I've ever seen someone's eyes widen before.

"But why?!" she asked with fear in her voice.

"It's a long story," I replied. "Let's just say he took everything from me."

"Well I'm sure you had SOMETHING left..."

"No, Kid. He. Took. Everything."

More awkward silence.

"So what about you?" I asked. "What are you doing out here?"

She then looked like she was going to cry again.

"I was locked in my house a few blocks away," she explained. "But that man managed to get in and kill my parents! And then I ran out and into that gas station, and you know what happened next! "

Tears started pouring out of her eyes and she bawled loudly.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I quickly said as I patted her back. "It's alright."

"NO IT'S NOT!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! THEY'RE NEVER COMING BACK!!"

She then placed her face in her hands and sobbed loudly. I just sat there awkwardly. I didn't know what to do. I then sighed and sat up.

"I'm sorry for that. I really am. And I'm sorry to say you're not the first or last kid tonight to go through what you did."

She kept on crying.

"The most I can say is to make them proud and survive tonight. Think you can do that?"

She stopped crying and slowly looked at me with her wet face.

"I don't know if I can..." she finally said in a shaky voice. "I don't know..."

I knew I couldn't leave her alone, especially tonight.

"If you want, I can keep you safe tonight," I told her. She stared at me with fear.

"Nobody's safe tonight..." she finally replied.

"Then I'll do my best to keep you alive," I responded.

"But Mommy told me not to go anywhere with strangers, especially during The Purge..."

"Ok then... Hi, I'm James," I said casually with a smile. "What's your name?"

She paused before shakily replying "K-Kelsey..."

"Well, Kelsey, I'm 33 years old. How old are you?"

"11..."

"My favorite color is blue."

Her face suddenly showed signs of happiness.

"That's MY favorite color, too!"

"See?" replied with a grin. " We already have something in common! Do you still think we're strangers?"

There was a slight pause before she replied, "I guess not."

"Good. Now let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

"Chicago."

"Really?! I've always wanted to go there!"

"Well, maybe this Purge Night won't be so bad for you after all!" I said with a chuckle.

Though it would appear my attempt to make her laugh failed, as she stared at me with a blank expression and watery eyes. At that moment, the truck finished pumping gas.

"Let's just go, then," I quickly commanded. I then pulled the nozzle out and got in the driver's seat of the truck. When she opened the passenger door, her eyes widened.

"That's a lot of weapons," she said in amazement. "Where'd you get them all?"

"They came with the truck," I replied with a smile. She then hopped in and I started the vehicle. We then pulled out of the gas station and headed back towards the interstate. I could see Kelsey looking back at the convenience store with a blank look. It was probably for the best if  I didn't mention what happened to her ever again. With that, we got back on the chaotic racetrack and headed north.

"How long until we get there?" Kelsey asked.

"About another hour," I replied. I then heard her give a loud yawn.

"You can take a nap if you want," I told her. "I'll wake you when we get there."

"Okay," she said quietly. I then saw her turn away from me and towards her door window. I then began wondering how difficult it may be to stay alive now. Before, it was just me, and I honestly had nothing to live for. So I really didn't care if I died. But Kelsey is clearly wanting to stay alive, and she's counting on me to make it happen. I need to stay more alert and, more importantly, I need to take any and all chances to avoid danger, for Kelsey's sake.