Otherwise they will not fall in line and do exactly as you say! You need to be in command. You need it!
Sally coughed as she sat up. “Maybe we should just go?”
“No,” Shane said rapidly shaking his head. “This will be our home. It will all be like it was before. Just give it time.” Sally coughed once more. “You OK?” Shane asked.
Infected? No, your weapon can not get infected. She’s too powerful to get infected.
“Don’t feel so good,” Sally groaned. “Think I’m gonna go back to sleep.” She rubbed her sweaty forehead and lay back down.
She’s just tired. Your weapon needs to recharge.
“OK,” Shane said. “I’ll let you rest for a while longer.” He went over to the bedroom door. “But I’ll need you—”
There was a bang on the front door. Shane quickly made his way over and answered it. It was William, accompanied by five armed guards.
“No more,” William said angrily.
“What?” Shane said, narrowing his eyes.
“We have decided... no more of this shit! We have decided to fight for our home. If you don’t get the fuck out of here right now, we will come at you with everything we have!”
Shane examined their faces—this was not a bluff, not this time. “You can not beat Sally,” Shane reminded them.
“Maybe not. But, at this stage, we’re willing to find out.” William’s eyes were full of rage. “What’s it going to be?”
Shane slammed the door shut. Lucy, came out of the kitchen and said, “They’re not going to back down, are they?”
“Not this time,” Shane replied, worry growing inside him.
They both went into Sally’s room. The little girl was fast asleep. Shane sat on the bed and rubbed her back until she woke up. “Sally?” he said softly. “Sally, we need you.”
“What is it?” Sally said, rubbing her tired eyes.
“They’re outside.”
Sally sat up and coughed. “Who are?” She felt exhausted.
“William and his men. They’re going to attack, Sally. If we don’t leave now they are going to attack. We need you!”
“I don’t feel so good.” She had dark patches under her bloodshot eyes.
“You’ll be fine. Come on, get up!”
“Dad... maybe we should just leave.”
“No!” Shane said firmly. “They are not going to win!” He abruptly got to his feet. “Get up, Sally! We will not back down!”
“Are you sure she’s OK?” Lucy asked.
“She’s fine,” Shane said. “She’s superhuman. Goddamn invincible!”
Slowly, Sally got out of bed and began to put on her sneakers. “I don’t... think I can do this,” she said weakly.
“You can do it,” Shane said with confidence. “You’re Super Sally!”
Sally glanced at her torn-up costume on the floor and thought, Not anymore.
A bang on the front door. “Let’s go!” Shane said to his daughter.
“Dad, please, I’m so tired. Let’s just go. It’s not worth it.”
Don’t you dare back down, Shane! “We are going to fight them, Sally.” Shane stormed over to the front door and pulled it open. “You wanna fight?” he bellowed. “You got one!” He slammed the door shut and returned to his daughter. “OK, I need you to—”
The sound of breaking glass! Shane looked into the living room and saw that the window had been smashed. Then, on the living room floor—Jesus—a grenade!
Shane slammed the bedroom door shut and yelled, “Back!” He grabbed Lucy and ran to the corner of the room.
The explosion rattled the house.
“Go, Sally!” Shane roared. “Save us!”
“Tell them we give up!” Sally said, panicking. “We’ll leave!”
“No!” Shane roared. “We will not back down! Get out there and fight!”
Sally took a few deep breaths. “O... OK.” She hopped off of her bed and ran out into the living room. The front of the house had a big hole in it.
William and his men aimed their guns at the little girl—they were willing to fight to the death. Sally cleared her throat, took another deep breath, and sprinted toward them as they opened fire. The bullets bounced off of her skin, but this time if felt different—there was a lot more pain! It felt as if she were stung by a swarm of angry wasps. Sally stopped in her tracks and went into a coughing fit. Weak, tired, she dropped to her knees, her lip quivering. William and his men ceased fire, lowered their guns, and then looked at each other, puzzled.
The coughing stopped. With a great deal of effort, Sally got to her feet. F-Fight! Why? Why was was she so weak? Why so much pain? Why? Why? Why? A rifleman on a rooftop took a shot—the bullet hit Sally square in the chest and knocked her to her back. The pain was immense! Little Sally held back her tears. I’m strong! I’m strong! I’m... I’m... scared! I want Mom!
Shane dashed out of the bedroom and fired multiple shots—William and his men ran for cover. Then Shane pressed his back up against what remained of the living room wall. “Sally!” he roared. “Get up, sweetheart!” What the hell was wrong with her? “Get up and fight!”
Sally rolled over and got to her hands and knees. Mom! Trembling with fear, she managed to stand. Everything hurt, but she had to fight on. Fight these people, fight the tears. Fight for Dad and Lucy! Why am I not strong anymore? What happened to me? Why does everything hurt so bad?
You did not want it any longer! No more hero! The light is dying and so are you!
William had taken cover at the side of a house across the street. He aimed his revolver at the shambling little girl. William pulled the trigger—the bullet hit Sally right between the eyes. Sally’s head snapped back and her vision blurred. Mommy! Another bullet hit Sally in the torso and she heard a loud snap as her rib broke. The little girl cried out in agony. A moment later, a bullet hit her kneecap, bending her leg the wrong way.
“Stop!” Sally screeched as she fell to the ground, holding her aching head. “Stop! I give up! Please!”
Enough! Enough! Enough!
Shane couldn’t believe his eyes, superhuman Sally had been stopped. No, she could not just lay there and quit. “Get up, Sally!” Shane roared. “Don’t give up! Don’t you fucking give up!”
Sally could not make out her father’s words—her ears were ringing.
William smiled triumphantly. “It’s over, Shane!” he shouted. “Put down your gun and come out!”
Your weapon is broken, Shane!
“Fuck you, old man!” Shane roared. “Sally! Get up and show this asshole how powerful you are!”
“Your little girl is done! Give up... and we’ll let you leave here alive.”
“Fuck you!” Shane fired two shots in William’s general direction. That was it, out of ammo. “Sally! Get up right now! You need to fight! You hear me? Fight! You’re a hero, remember?” Shane’s eyes were full of fury. “Get up! Kill them, Sally! Kill them all!”
Sally just about understood her father’s words. She managed to get to one knee. “Heroes don’t k—”
A bullet tore through Sally’s head. The little girl flopped to the ground.
“No!” Shane screamed. The gun fell from his quivering hand. He sprinted toward his daughter’s dead body and dropped to his knees. No words would come out of Shane’s mouth. How? She was superhuman! Invincible!
Shane, buddy, I hate to break it to ya, but I think your weapon is broken. See that big hole in her head? Not sure that’s supposed to be there.
Shut the fuck up!!
Bruce was right, you couldn’t protect her. Weak. Useless.
Fuck you!!
William slowly approached, his trench coat flapping in the cool breeze. The sight of a dead kid was never pleasant, but the old man couldn’t help but feel relieved. It was over. He had his neighbourhood back. William aimed his pistol at Shane’s head. “You want to die?”
Shane could not take his eyes off little Sally’s body. Maria, Sally... gone.
<
br /> “Do you want to die?” William said loudly. “Choose. Now.”
Did he? Was there a point in going on? You still have Lucy! You could leave here with her! Together, you could start a new family! Yes, Shane, it will be OK. Start again. Create a new life. Don’t stress just because you lost everything!
Wide-eyed, Shane forced himself to look at William. “I d-don’t want to d-die,” he said weakly.
William lowered his pistol. “Get up. Now!”
---
Abandon logic. Discard common sense. Dance for the darkness, at your loved one’s expense.
CHAPTER 19
In the living room of one of the abandoned houses, they pinned Shane down on the floor—a man holding each limb. Two other men held Lucy against the wall. They called this the punishment house. This is where they brought people before banishing them from the neighbourhood. Take your punishment and then take a hike.
William paced back and forth with a machete in his hand. “Bob, dead. Danny, Carla, probably dead.”
“Let me go!” Shane cried. “I’ll leave! OK? I’ll fucking leave!”
“I know you will,” William said, his voice calm and cold. “But first... you have to make a choice.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
William stood still and said, “Choose a limb.”
“What?” Shane yelled trying in vain to free himself. “Please...”
“The last person who lay there... chose an arm. Right arm, as I recall. Or was it left?” William turned to Shane. “This is your punishment.” He held up the machete. “We take a limb before you leave.”
“No, no!” Shane screamed, squirming around. “I’m... I’m sorry, William! Please don’t do this! I’m fucking sorry!”
“I have no doubt that you are.” William’s face lacked any emotion. “Now choose, or I’ll choose for you.” He pointed the blade at Shane. “Right arm? Left arm? Right leg? Left leg?”
“I’ve lost my little girl, isn’t that enough?”
“Last chance. Choose!”
“Fuck!” Shane roared, his face covered in sweat. He then considered which limb to leave behind. Oh, Jesus! “L-Left a-arm,” he whimpered. “My left arm!”
William nodded and then turned to Lucy. “It will be your turn to choose next.”
“Oh, God,” Lucy cried, struggling. “Don’t!” Tears ran down her pale face. “I don’t deserve this!”
Without response William turned back to Shane. “You’re lucky it’s only one limb, asshole.” He could not deny... he was going to enjoy this.
---
Shane and Lucy were escorted to one of the neighbourhood exits, the surrounding crowd jeering. Shane was missing his left arm—from just above the elbow. Lucy had made the same decision—left arm. At the row of cars, William gave Shane a pistol and said, “One bullet.”
“Sally...” Shane said, staring sorrowfully at the ground.
“Your little girl wasn’t human.”
“She was more human than I was—than any of us.”
William did not respond, he just sent Shane and Lucy on their way. Out into the wasteland.
As Shane walked away from the neighbourhood, Maria’s voice entered his head. Promise me, Shane! Promise me you will always protect her! Do you fucking hear me? Don’t let anything happen to my little girl!
One bullet. One broken man.
Sobbing, Lucy dropped to her knees and rubbed her bandaged stump. “No!” she screamed. “No, no, no, no!”
Her screams barely registered with Shane, he kept walking like a mindless zombie.
“No!” Lucy screamed once more. “I don’t want to go on!” She rubbed her wet eyes. “You hear me, Shane?” she screamed as loud as she could. “I don’t want to go on!”
He stopped and turned to face her. She had truly given up. Done. Enough. No more. She wanted out!
“Put that bullet in my fucking head!” Lucy yelled.
Shane slowly approached her. Maria. Sally. Friends, family... gone. Now Lucy is slipping away.
“Do it!” Lucy begged. “P-Please.”
With a blank expression on his face, Shane raised his pistol and aimed it at her forehead. He almost pulled the trigger, but he could not. What if he decided to use that bullet on himself later? He lowered the gun, turned, and walked away.
“Shane!” Lucy screamed. “I don’t want to go on!”
---
Every morning for the past six days, Shane had done the same thing. And this morning was no different. Shane woke up, immediately reached for his revolver, and held it in his armpit so that he could spin the cylinder. With a shaking hand, he put the gun in his mouth. Sally. Maria. Lucy. Everyone! Hopeless! Why go on? Why bother? He pulled the trigger. Still alive.
Another day to get through.
Shane crawled out of the sleeping bag, tucked the revolver into his jeans, and descended the barn ladder. With a grumbling stomach, he exited the barn and began to walk across the field. Dying grass. He walked and walked as his mind went from one thing to another.
Dad! Look how strong I am! See that? See what I did!
Shane, sweetheart, dance with me. Come on, lighten up a bit. Dance with me.
You need to be tough! You need to be strong for that little girl.
I’m invincible! Nothing can hurt me!
There once was a man named Shane, who thought he was going insane. He tried to find peace of mind, but sorrow did remain.
Shane, insane, one in the same. Do not blame Shane for going insane. There once was a man insane, who tried to find Shane...
Where the hell is he? Where did he go? I don’t know!
Dad! I’m invincible!
Not quite invincible.
Wait! Maybe Sally had the ability to regenerate? It would be no stranger than everything else she could do. Maybe, just maybe, she had regenerated and was waiting for her father to come back for her! She said it herself, what if she developed more powers! Shane thought. She’s alive! Sally’s alive! No, you fucking moron! She’d dead. Gone for good. Regeneration, don’t be ridiculous! Shane’s legs began to shake. So weak, hungry, thirsty. He dropped to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut.
Don’t cry on me, Shane. You need to be tough.
Fuck off, Bruce!
“On your feet!”
Shane’s eyes shot open. A tall, buff man stood before him. “B-Bruce?” Shane whispered in disbelief.
Bruce rubbed his big, square jaw. “You really fucked this up, didn’t you?”
“I did my b-best...”
“You did your worst, and you know it.”
He did know it. “My head... was full of...”
“Yes! But you could have fought harder!” Bruce yelled. “You let it win. You were weak.”
Sobbing, Shane said, “What am I going to do? How do I fix all of this?”
“There is no fixing any of this.” Bruce looked up at the sun as it began to turn black. “The end is coming.”
“No. It can’t end like this.”
“Open your shirt.”
“What?”
Bruce pointed to Shane’s chest. “Open your shirt. Do it.”
It was difficult to undo buttons with one hand. Out of frustration, Shane pulled his shirt open. A black mark, on his chest! “No!” he whimpered. “No, no!”
“This is the end.” Bruce lacked any sympathy.
Shane quickly took the gun out of his jeans. “I’m not going to let the darkness get me!”
“It already has you.”
The sky was now black. Dark sun in a dark sky. No sunshine or moonlight, yet Shane could see everything. He put the gun in his mouth and shut his eyes. Do it! Do it now! Shane pulled the trigger. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again, again, again, again! Nothing. He threw the gun at Bruce and roared, “Fuck!” The gun passed right through Bruce.
“Too late for that. You’re not getting out of this that easy.” Bruce marched toward Shane and then grabbed his ankle. “Wanna go for a spin?” He la
ughed as he lifted Shane up off the ground and began to spin him around and around.
“Stop!” Shane screamed.
Bruce released his grip and Shane flew through the air, landing hard on the grass. As he rose to his knees, he yelled, “Help me! Fucking help me!”
Look up, Shane! In the air! Here she comes!
In the sky, Super Sally appeared! She landed down next to her father. She had her full costume on—goggles, red cape, pink hoody, black body warmer, camouflage shorts, yellow gloves, sneakers. Ready for action!
“I’ll save you, Dad,” Sally said, clenching her little fists. She turned to face Bruce, but it was no longer Bruce—it was a disgusting creature. A creature with black skin, long arms and large claws, razor-sharp teeth and two big white eyes. It wanted blood.
“Eat your mind!” the creature growled. “I will eat your mind!”
“You can try, ass—”
No, Sally wouldn’t use language like that.
“You can try, idiot!” Sally bellowed.
“Get him, Sally,” Shane said weakly. “Get him for me.”
She dashed forward and the creature slashed at her—again and again. Sally avoided every attack. “Too slow, can’t catch me,” she said with a smile. “Come on, try again!”
The creature roared as it raised up its claws. It struck, but Sally was too quick—she rolled under its legs and was now behind the monster. As it turned, Sally’s fist smashed into its face—knocking out most of its teeth.
“That’s it,” Shane said proudly. “Beat it! Beat the fucking shit out of it!”
Sally punched the creature in the chest with such force it exploded into dust. “Language!” she roared. Infuriated, Sally marched over to her father. “Mom never liked it when you used bad language around me! But you kept doing it! You wouldn’t listen! You kept doing it, you stupid dickhead! You fucking stupid, useless, dickhead!”
Shaking with fear, Shane got to his feet. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’ll watch my language from now on! I promise!”
“Promise, promise, promise! Just like you promised to look after me? Huh, asshole?”
“Sally, please!”
“I was pretty much invincible and you still couldn’t protect me!” She laughed out loud. “How pathetic is that? Bruce was right about you all along.”
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