These things were following me around town, and everyone I cared about was being systematically killed because of me. I should have stayed alone; things were better that way.
I wanted so badly to fling open the door and start emptying rounds into the faces of evil, knowing that it would be an act of suicide, but at least we’d all go out with a bang.
My weapon. It was gone.
“Yoshi, my gun!” I whispered forcefully, knowing that he had removed it from my body after knocking me out, thinking I’d been a threat to them.
He reached under his shirt in the back and removed my P228 from his waistline, tossing it to me from across the bar.
As my fingers closed around the familiar piece, I felt as though I could take on anything. Even death. I would not allow myself to become one of those things. I would kill as many as I could, and then I would use the final bullet to silence my own thoughts.
I made eye contact with Yoshi, and as he pulled his own gun from his waistband, the two of us had reached an understanding: this was it. I walked over to the door and reached down, my fingers resting on the cold copper lockbolt. I paused, finding it odd that I was relishing how the smooth metal felt on my skin, knowing that this would be the last bolt I would ever touch.
I guess it’s the little things.
My hand started to disengage the lock when Deb cried out quietly, “Bear!”
I halted, looking back at the woman who had been my saving grace over the past two years. Fear was in her eyes as she looked down at Mary. The little girl stood quietly, her lip quivering, eyes filled with tears. I could see in her face that she fought to remain brave, but it was torturous knowing how terrified she was.
My hand released its grasp on the bolt, and I stepped back. I had come to terms with the fact that I was charging into my death, but it was not my place to make that decision for everyone. I felt ashamed, a pang of guilt stabbing my heart quickly before retreating. The little girl wouldn’t last nearly as long as the rest of us, lacking the physical strength required to overpower a mob. Her death would be swift and sad, and I would not allow that to happen. I would do everything I could to protect the girl in the pink hooded sweatshirt. The innocent little Annie.
I mean Mary.
“What should we do, Bear?” Deb asked.
Thoughts and ideas raced through my brain, my eyes darting around the bar before settling on the only logical solution to give us the best opportunity to survive: “We run out the back.”
“To where?” Yoshi wanted to know.
“Away from here. If we go fast, we can be deep in the forest by the time they figure out we’ve run.”
“No, we can’t!” gasped Mary.
The three of us stopped and stared at her a moment. I got down on one knee and looked the terrified girl in the eyes, wiping a tear away from her cheek. “What’s wrong with the forest, Mary?”
“It’s full of spiders,” she cried.
In my rush to come up with a plan, I’d forgotten that fact. I looked back and forth from Mama to Yoshi as I stood again, trying to gauge their reactions. Do we go out the front door into a mob of emotionless creatures carrying proverbial pitchforks, or do we charge through the forest potentially full of spiders?
“The forest is our best option, I think,” added Yoshi.
My eyes rested on the shelves of booze behind the bar, and I immediately thought, “We need to set a trap to slow them down.”
The woman from outside pounded on the door, startling us. “Nick Barren, you have thirty seconds to open the door, or we will do this the hard way,” came the creepy voice.
“Mama,” I said to Deb, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we really have to go. We’ll find you a new ship to captain,” I added with a smirk.
“Please come with us!” Mary pleaded.
Yoshi was already standing at the door leading out the back, cracking it open, checking for danger. He stood and waited, his gun in his hand,
I wanted so badly to fling open the door and start emptying rounds into the faces of evil, knowing that it would be an act of suicide, but at least we’d all go out with a bang.
My weapon. It was gone.
“Yoshi, my gun!” I whispered forcefully, knowing that he had removed it from my body after knocking me out, thinking I’d been a threat to them.
He reached under his shirt in the back and removed my P228 from his waistline, tossing it to me from across the bar.
As my fingers closed around the familiar piece, I felt as though I could take on anything. Even death. I would not allow myself to become one of those things. I would kill as many as I could, and then I would use the final bullet to silence my own thoughts.
I made eye contact with Yoshi, and as he pulled his own gun from his waistband, the two of us had reached an understanding: this was it. I walked over to the door and reached down, my fingers resting on the cold copper lockbolt. I paused, finding it odd that I was relishing how the smooth metal felt on my skin, knowing that this would be the last bolt I would ever touch.
I guess it’s the little things.
My hand started to disengage the lock when Deb cried out quietly, “Bear!”
I halted, looking back at the woman who had been my saving grace over the past two years. Fear was in her eyes as she looked down at Mary. The little girl stood quietly, her lip quivering, eyes filled with tears. I could see in her face that she fought to remain brave, but it was torturous knowing how terrified she was.
My hand released its grasp on the bolt, and I stepped back. I had come to terms with the fact that I was charging into my death, but it was not my place to make that decision for everyone. I felt ashamed, a pang of guilt stabbing my heart quickly before retreating. The little girl wouldn’t last nearly as long as the rest of us, lacking the physical strength required to overpower a mob. Her death would be swift and sad, and I would not allow that to happen. I would do everything I could to protect the girl in the pink hooded sweatshirt. The innocent little Annie.
I mean Mary.
“What should we do, Bear?” Deb asked.
Thoughts and ideas raced through my brain, my eyes darting around the bar before settling on the only logical solution to give us the best opportunity to survive: “We run out the back.”
“To where?” Yoshi wanted to know.
“Away from here. If we go fast, we can be deep in the forest by the time they figure out we’ve run.”
“No, we can’t!” gasped Mary.
The three of us stopped and stared at her a moment. I got down on one knee and looked the terrified girl in the eyes, wiping a tear away from her cheek. “What’s wrong with the forest, Mary?”
“It’s full of spiders,” she cried.
In my rush to come up with a plan, I’d forgotten that fact. I looked back and forth from Mama to Yoshi as I stood again, trying to gauge their reactions. Do we go out the front door into a mob of emotionless creatures carrying proverbial pitchforks, or do we charge through the forest potentially full of spiders?
“The forest is our best option, I think,” added Yoshi.
My eyes rested on the shelves of booze behind the bar, and I immediately thought, “We need to set a trap to slow them down.”
The woman from outside pounded on the door, startling us. “Nick Barren, you have thirty seconds to open the door, or we will do this the hard way,” came the creepy voice.
“Mama,” I said to Deb, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we really have to go. We’ll find you a new ship to captain,” I added with a smirk.
“Please come with us!” Mary pleaded.
Yoshi was already standing at the door leading out the back, cracking it open, checking for danger. He stood and waited, his gun in his hand,
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