by M. O. McLeod
*
Santino heard the RAID director using an enormous bullhorn to command the citizens of Alexandria to go back inside their homes and stay there until everything was under control. Santino didn’t think there would ever be control in the city again. As soon as Phantoms overran south Alexandria, they would move to the west and east of the city. These newborn Phantoms had no clue who their creator was or how to go about living without some kind of guidance. Santino believed they were driven by hunger, and unless someone had a strategic plan of giving them food without physical contact then the human population would cease to exist. A Phantom either touched you or ate you; either way the Phantom population went up or the human population went down.
“I say we get out of the city before they round us all up and kill us on sight,” said VIN as he walked briskly with the guys. “That or the government will bomb Alexandria to stop Phantasm from spreading across sector lines.”
Sometimes VIN was smart, and this time was no exception, except Santino didn’t want to run. He needed to stay and make people understand that Phantasm could spread even more with physical, skin-to-skin contact. If no one knew how Phantoms were created then all humans were likely to be exposed.
Santino didn’t know who to tell first. This was beyond saving himself; he had to think about all the people of Alexandria and his family as well. If he had to turn himself in then that was what he would have to do. He didn’t want this thing getting out of control and even more innocent people dying. Yes, he ate people; when he was in his right mind he felt horrible about it, but he couldn’t change himself. What he could do was stop all the normal people from coming in contact with Phantoms like him, especially the newborns who were running rampant on the south side of Alexandria. Leon would have to be just as responsible for the mess he had made as Santino was. He was, after all, the reason why Phantoms were running amuck now. If only he had waited around for them to change fully and brought them to Santino, then maybe all of this wouldn’t be taking place. But Santino couldn’t think about the past, only the future, and right now his wasn’t looking to great.
The four men barely made it out of south Alexandria before the police barricaded the streets.
“I’m going to turn myself in and try to explain to the police what’s going on,” Santino said. He had made his mind up. “Someone needs to tell them how to hold off the Phantoms so they won’t be able to spread throughout the entire city.”
“No way, Santino!” yelled Kosner. He stopped walking and turned to face Santino. “I’m not letting you turn yourself in. They’re going to blame you for all of these deaths.”
“I am responsible!” screamed Santino. He felt so guilty.
“No, you aren’t! It’s this guy’s fault, not yours,” VIN yelled back. “If anybody is turning themselves in, it’s going to be Leon.” VIN shoved his finger in Leon’s face.
“Leon, man, we have to do this together. We have to make this right,” said Santino. He heard sirens blaring to his left. He hoped for everyone’s sake that the cops were holding off the Phantoms and taking back the city. “We are the reason this is happening. Don’t you want to make this right for your brother?”
“Don’t you dare bring him into this!” Leon yelled.
“But be reasonable,” Santino went on. “If you hadn’t touched him, he wouldn’t have turned into a Phantom, and his friends wouldn’t have become Phantoms either.”
“This isn’t my fault!” Leon screamed. His eyes burned like hell. “You turned me, remember?”
“No, Kosner did, and he was there when you came to. I helped you adjust. We all did. We didn’t leave you by yourself,” Santino explained. “We all need to take responsibility. Just come with me and we can go in and make a report so no one else has to get hurt.”
Leon backed away from the group. He knew what they were trying to do: make him take the fall for everything. He wasn’t stupid. He knew how this worked. He was the weakest, and they were going to make him take the short end of the stick. He hadn’t killed all those people back there. The new Phantoms did, not him. Why should he go and turn himself in? He only turned his brother, who was now dead, so that let him off the hook. Santino and the guys couldn’t make him do anything anymore. If he wanted to skip town, he could. If he wanted to turn someone into a Phantom and start his own gang, he could do that too. He didn’t need Kosner, Santino, or any of them really. He had made up his mind.
Leon reached out and punched VIN in the face. VIN flew into Santino. Leon made a dash for it and cut in between people running, shoving everyone out of his way. They would never get him to confess anything or take the rap for everything. Not him.
Kosner was the first to react. He ran after Leon and hoped Santino and VIN would catch up. Looney Leon was on the run.