yet unsettling. Jeff was so captivated by it that he forgot all about the man in black until he heard his footsteps on the concrete. As he drew closer, Jeff noticed that the madman’s lower lip was bloodied and swollen.
He punched him, Jeff thought. Scott—or one of the other guys—got in a swing at him!
“Things are moving now,” the killer reported, the hint of a smile on his formerly expressionless face. “I’m already set for the next one.”
“Leave us alone,” Jeff grumbled. “Why can’t you just leave us the fuck alone?”
“And what is your name?”
“Fuck you. I’m not telling you my name. How’s that?”
The killer shrugged. “That’s okay. I don’t need your name. It’s just nice to have. Names have power, but at this point, we can forego them. How about I call you Next instead? Because that is what you are. You’re next.”
The blood drained from Jeff’s face.
“No.” Roy reached out with one hand and steadied himself against the wall. Then he slowly got to his feet, gritting his teeth and grunting with exertion. “Whatever it is you’re doing out there, take me next.”
The man in black blinked.
“Roy…” Jeff pawed at the older man’s sleeve, but Roy shrugged him away.
“No, Jeff. Leave it alone.” He turned to the intruder. “How about it? Why not let these guys stay back here a while longer? They’re scared. Take me instead.”
The lunatic’s smile grew wider. “You’re not scared?”
“Of course I’m scared. But I’m also tired, and to tell the truth, I’m not feeling so hot right now.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m old.”
“Okay.” The madman unlocked the cage. “Makes no difference to me. You can go next. Come on.”
“Roy!” Jeff reached for him again. “What the hell are you thinking? Don’t do this.”
“He’s right,” Jared whispered. “Don’t go out there. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Roy gently removed Jeff’s hand from his shoulder and stepped away from him. Then he looked at them both and smiled.
“It will be okay, guys. You’ll see. Just stay here.”
Jeff shook his head. “No way. No fucking way. You—”
“Let’s go,” the intruder shouted. “You volunteered. No take backs. Time is short. The signal is getting stronger.”
“You heard the man,” Roy said. “We don’t want to interrupt his signal. It all sounds very important.”
He winked at Jeff and Jared and then limped out of the cage before they could stop him.
The man in black closed the door and locked it again. The padlock thumped against the steel mesh. Then he motioned Roy forward.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Roy. Roy Hembeck. And you are?”
The gunman paused in mid-step, clearly taken aback.
“My name is Simon,” he answered after a long pause.
“Simon what?”
“That’s all you get. Names are power.”
“So you’ve said.”
Simon raised the pistol and pointed it at Roy’s mid-section. “Walk.”
Jeff called after Roy as they strolled across the warehouse, but the older salesman never looked back. He coughed once, and his knees buckled. For a moment, Jeff thought he might collapse in the middle of the aisle. But then Roy seemed to regain his strength, and marched slowly toward the door with his head held high. Simon followed closely behind him, clutching the pistol firmly. Then the door closed behind them, and the sound of the signal—whatever it was—became muffled again.
Jared sat down and cradled his face in his hands.
Jeff glanced at the floor and noticed that one of them—Simon or Roy—had stepped in a pool of Scott’s blood. Scarlet footprints led all the way to the closed door. Then they disappeared.
“And soon,” he said out loud, “so will we. Just like the others. We’ll disappear.”
If Jared heard him, he didn’t respond.
Jeff stared at the footprints and waited to see which one of them would be next.
“Maybe Roy had a plan,” Jeff said. “Maybe he was going
He punched him, Jeff thought. Scott—or one of the other guys—got in a swing at him!
“Things are moving now,” the killer reported, the hint of a smile on his formerly expressionless face. “I’m already set for the next one.”
“Leave us alone,” Jeff grumbled. “Why can’t you just leave us the fuck alone?”
“And what is your name?”
“Fuck you. I’m not telling you my name. How’s that?”
The killer shrugged. “That’s okay. I don’t need your name. It’s just nice to have. Names have power, but at this point, we can forego them. How about I call you Next instead? Because that is what you are. You’re next.”
The blood drained from Jeff’s face.
“No.” Roy reached out with one hand and steadied himself against the wall. Then he slowly got to his feet, gritting his teeth and grunting with exertion. “Whatever it is you’re doing out there, take me next.”
The man in black blinked.
“Roy…” Jeff pawed at the older man’s sleeve, but Roy shrugged him away.
“No, Jeff. Leave it alone.” He turned to the intruder. “How about it? Why not let these guys stay back here a while longer? They’re scared. Take me instead.”
The lunatic’s smile grew wider. “You’re not scared?”
“Of course I’m scared. But I’m also tired, and to tell the truth, I’m not feeling so hot right now.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m old.”
“Okay.” The madman unlocked the cage. “Makes no difference to me. You can go next. Come on.”
“Roy!” Jeff reached for him again. “What the hell are you thinking? Don’t do this.”
“He’s right,” Jared whispered. “Don’t go out there. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Roy gently removed Jeff’s hand from his shoulder and stepped away from him. Then he looked at them both and smiled.
“It will be okay, guys. You’ll see. Just stay here.”
Jeff shook his head. “No way. No fucking way. You—”
“Let’s go,” the intruder shouted. “You volunteered. No take backs. Time is short. The signal is getting stronger.”
“You heard the man,” Roy said. “We don’t want to interrupt his signal. It all sounds very important.”
He winked at Jeff and Jared and then limped out of the cage before they could stop him.
The man in black closed the door and locked it again. The padlock thumped against the steel mesh. Then he motioned Roy forward.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Roy. Roy Hembeck. And you are?”
The gunman paused in mid-step, clearly taken aback.
“My name is Simon,” he answered after a long pause.
“Simon what?”
“That’s all you get. Names are power.”
“So you’ve said.”
Simon raised the pistol and pointed it at Roy’s mid-section. “Walk.”
Jeff called after Roy as they strolled across the warehouse, but the older salesman never looked back. He coughed once, and his knees buckled. For a moment, Jeff thought he might collapse in the middle of the aisle. But then Roy seemed to regain his strength, and marched slowly toward the door with his head held high. Simon followed closely behind him, clutching the pistol firmly. Then the door closed behind them, and the sound of the signal—whatever it was—became muffled again.
Jared sat down and cradled his face in his hands.
Jeff glanced at the floor and noticed that one of them—Simon or Roy—had stepped in a pool of Scott’s blood. Scarlet footprints led all the way to the closed door. Then they disappeared.
“And soon,” he said out loud, “so will we. Just like the others. We’ll disappear.”
If Jared heard him, he didn’t respond.
Jeff stared at the footprints and waited to see which one of them would be next.
“Maybe Roy had a plan,” Jeff said. “Maybe he was going
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