its sealed entryway. The survivors clustered beneath the plane’s monolithic wings.
The old dude in the cowboy-getup chewed on a toothpick. Jack knew there was no way they could survive in here for long. Food, water, bowel movements… how long would it take before they had to get the hell out?
His hands trembled, and a part of him wanted to break down and cry with everyone else. The adrenaline crashed through his system; he was sober now, and clear-headed. The coppery blood-smell saturated his clothes like a no-name cologne, thick and headache-inducing. To think, he was out there having a good ol’ time, like it was nothing more than a video game. Beanie with his stupid katana; he was treated like a pizza, his flesh ripped away like cheese, revealing thick layers of sauce. Jack had marveled at the fire; with music thumping and marijuana warming his head, Selfridge seemed like a damn good idea.
Now, not so much.
The homeless-looking cowboy saved his life. Why? With so much carnage and bloodshed, why did that man stop to save a stranger?
Survivors coughed, retched, and argued.
Jack didn’t know the right thing to say to the cowboy. How many times had someone done anything for him? This man prevented him from filling the stomachs of dead people who hated him when they were alive. The same people who punched him in the stomach in elementary school, and stole his lunches because he couldn’t possibly be hungry—he was already fat. Fat and stupid. Jerry punished the trespassers. Jerry was the judge and executioner, and he might be dead now.
“Time to get them back for everything they’ve done to you. To us. Let’s kill all these mutherfuckers and we’ll bring our music to the halls of Valhalla.”‘
“Hey,” Jack said to the cowboy, who didn’t look at him. “Thanks.” He looked around awkwardly when his savior still didn’t look up.
“Some of these people are bit,” the cowboy said while staring into nothing.
“I’m Jack.”
Nothing.
“What should we do?” Jack tried.
“Watch,” the cowboy said. “You’ll see.”
Jack didn’t want to look at the crowd; when others were sad around him, he felt embarrassed and awkward, because he didn’t know what to say or do. It was easier to stare at the floor, even when he was on stage performing with the band; he could get in a zone behind his drum kit, surrounded by sound and rhythm.
“Hope you got your running shoes on,” the cowboy said.
“I don’t even get what happened,” Jack said. “It just fell apart. The army should have this shit under control, you know? How’d this happen?”
“You’re about to find out.”
A heated argument near the front of the hangar caused several people to rise. A hush fell over the crowd as everyone watched.
“We don’t know that!” a middle-aged man wearing a shirt and tie stood in front of a weeping woman. “Leave us alone! Just back off!”
“She’ll turn!” an aggressive voice shouted back from the crowd. “We can’t let that happen. It’s better to take care of it now!”
“It’s my wife . Please, just back off!”
Others joined the debate. “It’s not your decision to make, man! You couldn’t do it if someone you loved were bit.”
“Who’s gonna do it? Who can kill this woman? We’re not a bunch of animals…”
“If she becomes one of them things, we’re all fucked…”
“You do what’s best for everyone. Get out of the way!”
“Who’s gonna do it?”
“My wife! You can’t! Let us leave! We’ll just go…”
“Not in front of the children!”
“They’ve seen enough. We’ve all seen enough.”
“We’re gonna have fun with her first. Get outta the way!”
Jack was crushed in a vise of humanity, as he rubbed elbows and shared sweat with a fearful mass of flesh. He found the cowboy and pushed people aside to stand beside him.
“I can’t see anything,” Jack said. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” the cowboy said.
A scream caused the entire
The old dude in the cowboy-getup chewed on a toothpick. Jack knew there was no way they could survive in here for long. Food, water, bowel movements… how long would it take before they had to get the hell out?
His hands trembled, and a part of him wanted to break down and cry with everyone else. The adrenaline crashed through his system; he was sober now, and clear-headed. The coppery blood-smell saturated his clothes like a no-name cologne, thick and headache-inducing. To think, he was out there having a good ol’ time, like it was nothing more than a video game. Beanie with his stupid katana; he was treated like a pizza, his flesh ripped away like cheese, revealing thick layers of sauce. Jack had marveled at the fire; with music thumping and marijuana warming his head, Selfridge seemed like a damn good idea.
Now, not so much.
The homeless-looking cowboy saved his life. Why? With so much carnage and bloodshed, why did that man stop to save a stranger?
Survivors coughed, retched, and argued.
Jack didn’t know the right thing to say to the cowboy. How many times had someone done anything for him? This man prevented him from filling the stomachs of dead people who hated him when they were alive. The same people who punched him in the stomach in elementary school, and stole his lunches because he couldn’t possibly be hungry—he was already fat. Fat and stupid. Jerry punished the trespassers. Jerry was the judge and executioner, and he might be dead now.
“Time to get them back for everything they’ve done to you. To us. Let’s kill all these mutherfuckers and we’ll bring our music to the halls of Valhalla.”‘
“Hey,” Jack said to the cowboy, who didn’t look at him. “Thanks.” He looked around awkwardly when his savior still didn’t look up.
“Some of these people are bit,” the cowboy said while staring into nothing.
“I’m Jack.”
Nothing.
“What should we do?” Jack tried.
“Watch,” the cowboy said. “You’ll see.”
Jack didn’t want to look at the crowd; when others were sad around him, he felt embarrassed and awkward, because he didn’t know what to say or do. It was easier to stare at the floor, even when he was on stage performing with the band; he could get in a zone behind his drum kit, surrounded by sound and rhythm.
“Hope you got your running shoes on,” the cowboy said.
“I don’t even get what happened,” Jack said. “It just fell apart. The army should have this shit under control, you know? How’d this happen?”
“You’re about to find out.”
A heated argument near the front of the hangar caused several people to rise. A hush fell over the crowd as everyone watched.
“We don’t know that!” a middle-aged man wearing a shirt and tie stood in front of a weeping woman. “Leave us alone! Just back off!”
“She’ll turn!” an aggressive voice shouted back from the crowd. “We can’t let that happen. It’s better to take care of it now!”
“It’s my wife . Please, just back off!”
Others joined the debate. “It’s not your decision to make, man! You couldn’t do it if someone you loved were bit.”
“Who’s gonna do it? Who can kill this woman? We’re not a bunch of animals…”
“If she becomes one of them things, we’re all fucked…”
“You do what’s best for everyone. Get out of the way!”
“Who’s gonna do it?”
“My wife! You can’t! Let us leave! We’ll just go…”
“Not in front of the children!”
“They’ve seen enough. We’ve all seen enough.”
“We’re gonna have fun with her first. Get outta the way!”
Jack was crushed in a vise of humanity, as he rubbed elbows and shared sweat with a fearful mass of flesh. He found the cowboy and pushed people aside to stand beside him.
“I can’t see anything,” Jack said. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” the cowboy said.
A scream caused the entire
Similar Books
