shoulder.
And that’s when Candice charged him.
JAKE
Locked in his seatbelt, ignoring the terrible smell that was radiating from his father, Jake flinched at the unexpected sounds coming from behind him. When he spun around, he saw Kong standing between two bungalows, intestines hanging to his feet, slamming fists against both houses. One of the houses was hanging tough and taking the beating like a champ, the other… not so much; it was making a quick transition from home to scrap heap. With the monster facing the opposite direction, fighting a battle with the citizens from one street over, Jake couldn’t see the look of fury on Kong’s face. But it was there. The beast was angrier than a nest of wasps getting swatted by a stick. Jake couldn’t help wondering where Kong would go next, and how safe he was sitting in a borrowed car a few hundred feet away.
After watching the battle for nearly two minutes, three cars came racing down the street. All three cars parked in unusual angles on the street between Jake and Kong, creating an unintentional roadblock for oncoming traffic. Jake counted six men jumping out of the three cars––every one of them armed. They opened fire on the beast without hesitation.
After being shot several times, Kong spun around and rushed the nearest car. He slammed a foot on top of it, destroying the front end. Men scattered like roaches.
This startled Jake, making him appreciate the fact that he wasn’t watching some new form of entertainment, but instead was seeing the real thing. He was in a dangerous place, a place he would be smart to get away from, a place that was getting more and more dangerous all the time.
He turned away from the chaos and shouted, “Dad! Dad! We’ve got to get out of here! Dad!” He unbuckled his seatbelt, slid forward, and grabbed his father by the shoulder. “Dad!”
Dale wasn’t moving.
“Dad––?”
Jake pulled his hand away as if he had touched something foul, and he inched his way back into his seat. He looked at his hand and then looked at his father once again. What’s happening here? Why isn’t Dad responding? Jake opened the car door and stepped outside slowly, like a boy who didn’t want to know what would transpire next. Almost cautiously, he looked at his father through the passenger door window. The window––still rolled up––was clean, allowing Jake a crystal clear view of something he didn’t want to see. Dale’s eyes were open, but there was nobody home. The man was dead, and if he wasn’t dead, he looked dead. His chest wasn’t moving, his head was skewed to one side, and his bottom lip was hanging away from the rest of his mouth in a way Jake had never seen before. He almost looked plastic, sitting frozen in place like a human replica in a wax museum.
“Oh no––” Jake said, as the reality of the moment came crashing down on him. Before Kong arrived, his father had been moving around quite a bit, struggling to breathe, trying to find a position that allowed a greater amount of air into his lungs. Now he was motionless––a silent and stagnant object, a piece of meat.
Things were bad. No, not bad . They were so bad… so terribly wrong for so many reasons. How long had he been sitting in the car with a corpse?
Jake leaned his forehead against the window and stayed still for a long moment, his eyes heavy with tears.
What’s taking Mom so long?
Suddenly he needed his mother. Yes… his mother. That was a good plan. Mom would know what to do, and maybe Dad wasn’t even dead. Maybe he just looked dead. Maybe he could be fixed.
Kong roared as Jake ran across the yard to the front door. He was surprised to find the door locked. Mom went through the other door, he thought. Then he remembered her opening the gate and running into the backyard. Like a man on a mission, he bolted across the yard a second time. He pushed open the gate door, which had swung shut on its own, and zipped into the house
And that’s when Candice charged him.
JAKE
Locked in his seatbelt, ignoring the terrible smell that was radiating from his father, Jake flinched at the unexpected sounds coming from behind him. When he spun around, he saw Kong standing between two bungalows, intestines hanging to his feet, slamming fists against both houses. One of the houses was hanging tough and taking the beating like a champ, the other… not so much; it was making a quick transition from home to scrap heap. With the monster facing the opposite direction, fighting a battle with the citizens from one street over, Jake couldn’t see the look of fury on Kong’s face. But it was there. The beast was angrier than a nest of wasps getting swatted by a stick. Jake couldn’t help wondering where Kong would go next, and how safe he was sitting in a borrowed car a few hundred feet away.
After watching the battle for nearly two minutes, three cars came racing down the street. All three cars parked in unusual angles on the street between Jake and Kong, creating an unintentional roadblock for oncoming traffic. Jake counted six men jumping out of the three cars––every one of them armed. They opened fire on the beast without hesitation.
After being shot several times, Kong spun around and rushed the nearest car. He slammed a foot on top of it, destroying the front end. Men scattered like roaches.
This startled Jake, making him appreciate the fact that he wasn’t watching some new form of entertainment, but instead was seeing the real thing. He was in a dangerous place, a place he would be smart to get away from, a place that was getting more and more dangerous all the time.
He turned away from the chaos and shouted, “Dad! Dad! We’ve got to get out of here! Dad!” He unbuckled his seatbelt, slid forward, and grabbed his father by the shoulder. “Dad!”
Dale wasn’t moving.
“Dad––?”
Jake pulled his hand away as if he had touched something foul, and he inched his way back into his seat. He looked at his hand and then looked at his father once again. What’s happening here? Why isn’t Dad responding? Jake opened the car door and stepped outside slowly, like a boy who didn’t want to know what would transpire next. Almost cautiously, he looked at his father through the passenger door window. The window––still rolled up––was clean, allowing Jake a crystal clear view of something he didn’t want to see. Dale’s eyes were open, but there was nobody home. The man was dead, and if he wasn’t dead, he looked dead. His chest wasn’t moving, his head was skewed to one side, and his bottom lip was hanging away from the rest of his mouth in a way Jake had never seen before. He almost looked plastic, sitting frozen in place like a human replica in a wax museum.
“Oh no––” Jake said, as the reality of the moment came crashing down on him. Before Kong arrived, his father had been moving around quite a bit, struggling to breathe, trying to find a position that allowed a greater amount of air into his lungs. Now he was motionless––a silent and stagnant object, a piece of meat.
Things were bad. No, not bad . They were so bad… so terribly wrong for so many reasons. How long had he been sitting in the car with a corpse?
Jake leaned his forehead against the window and stayed still for a long moment, his eyes heavy with tears.
What’s taking Mom so long?
Suddenly he needed his mother. Yes… his mother. That was a good plan. Mom would know what to do, and maybe Dad wasn’t even dead. Maybe he just looked dead. Maybe he could be fixed.
Kong roared as Jake ran across the yard to the front door. He was surprised to find the door locked. Mom went through the other door, he thought. Then he remembered her opening the gate and running into the backyard. Like a man on a mission, he bolted across the yard a second time. He pushed open the gate door, which had swung shut on its own, and zipped into the house
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