Sunfall (Season 1): Episodes 1-6

by Meyer, Tim

“Excuse me?”

  “Are you fucking blind? This whole place is crumbling around you and you're still going on about it like it's an indestructible fortress! These people are leaving you, idiot! You won't be able to run this place by yourself. You realize that, right?”

  “We give them reasons to stay and they will stay.”

  “And what reasons are those, Dad? Lying to them? Giving them a false sense of security? You've put them all in danger. You've risked their lives. They're turning on you, right in front of your face, and everyone sees it but you.”

  A numb sensation trickled from below his belt on down. Embarrassed and sick of all the bullshit, his temper abandoned him. “Who the fuck do you think you are talking to me like that? I'm your father. You will respect me and my decisions or—”

  “Or else what?” Becky snarled. “You gonna slap me again? You gonna smack me around a little? Is that what you did to Mom when she didn't listen to your bullshit? Is that why she left you for Bob?”

  Each word hit like a hammer. Sam's face flushed, his brain reduced to melted cheese. No rational thoughts formed. Frustration carried off logic like feathers in the wind.

  “I'm... your father.”

  “You keep saying that like it means something,” Becky said. “But it doesn't. Not anymore.”

  She stormed away, past her siblings, kicking open the plastic doors. They slammed against some metal racking, making a loud noise which caused Matty to jump.

  Dana silently slunk away, refusing to offer her father any kind words to make up for her sister's harshness.

  Matty stepped to his father's side, placing an awkward hand on his father's shoulder. He squeezed, searching his brain for the right words. He was as good at comforting fathers as he was talking to girls.

  “I still love you, Dad.”

  Sam didn't respond. He stared at the horizon, wondering if watching the sun rise would be better than living.

  -13-

  Lilah opened the door to her room and found it vacant. Sighing deeply, she thanked the Gods Tina was off doing whatever Tina did before sunup. She closed the door behind her, threw her back against it, and slid to the floor. She closed her eyes, thinking about the past few days and the three months leading up to them. When she opened them the cramped room remained before her, although she wished it hadn't; wished she had magically found herself somewhere far, far away from Costbusters and the tasks at hand.

  She picked herself off the floor and moved to the mattress in the corner. There was no debate; she already made up her mind hours ago when she saw Matty's face, the moment he thought his mother had burnt to a crisp.

  She was leaving.

  Throwing a few articles of clothing into a plastic shopping bag, Lilah tensed. She sensed shadows crawling on the walls behind her. Before she could turn, a hand clasped over her mouth. She tried screaming, but her assailant choked her with his other hand.

  “My sweet little Lilah,” the intruder said, “and just where do you think you're going?”

  The intruder spun her around fluently, pushing her down onto the mattress and straddling her in one swift, practiced motion.

  “I'll take it easy on you if you promise not to scream,” the attacker said.

  Lilah nodded. Slowly, the kid removed his hand away from her mouth.

  “You've been avoiding me, Lilah,” the kid said. “I thought we were friends.”

  “Peter,” she spoke softly. “What are you doing?”

  “My job. What are you doing?”

  “Nothing... I was...”

  “Looks like you were packing your things.” He leaned in, pressing his nose against her soft, tender flesh. Inhaling, Peter smiled. “I don't remember that being part of Malek's plan.”

  “Fuck Malek.”

  “Oh, that's not very nice.” Peter winced. “I'm surprised they sent you, being that you were one more fuck up away from joining the meatlockers.”

  “I convinced Carp to send me in.”

  “Well, I always knew Carp was an idiot.” Peter touched the side of her face lightly. “It's weird to think that you and Carp are from Malek's gene pool.”

  “Fuck you, asshole.”

  “Your parents must have been so proud.”

  “If you don't get that hard-on off me right now, I'll fucking cut it off. No bullshit.”

  Peter ground the lower half of his body against Lilah's. She squirmed, fighting him off.

  “Come on. I hear you like it rough.”

  She slapped him, the sound of her palm colliding with his face echoing throughout the room.

  “You bitch.”

  “You fucked this whole thing up,” Lilah said. “They found your walkie-talkie, asshole. You dumped it in the hallway—in someone's trashcan. How fucking careless can you be?”

  “These people are idiots. And best of all, they're scared out of their minds. Except for that Soren motherfucker. He's quite formidable. I actually kinda like him.”

  “Yeah, I saw you eye-banging him. Cute.”

  “Watch your tongue, girl. Or I'll fuck you. With or without your goddamn permission. Malek won't mind much. Will he?”

  “Get. Off. Me.”

  Peter narrowed his eyes. “There's something different about you, Lilah.”

  “Nothing's different about me.”

  “You haven't eaten in a few days. I mean meat.”

  “No...” she said. “Have you?”

  “No,” he practically growled. “I've been eating rats for the past two months. Not very tasty. They have this rubbery texture to them. And the smell—Christ, the smell. What I wouldn't give for a roasted thigh right now. Or someone's liver. God, I can still taste human blood on my tongue.”

  “Rats—that's disgusting.”

  “You're telling me. Even cooked they're gross.”

  “You need to let me go, Peter.”

  “Why would I do such a thing? You plan on running away with that little boy toy of yours? Matty?” He put his hands together and used them as a pillow. “Oh, Matty! Make love to me, please!”

  “Knock it off, fucknuts.”

  “Please. I see the way you look at him, Lilah. Why don't you look at me like that? Huh? I can fuck you better than that virgin. I mean, let's face it, sister. That kid's never blown a nut in his life.” Peter laughed obnoxiously.

  Lilah grabbed Peter's balls.

  “Oooooooo, now we're talking.”

  Squeezed hard until she heard his testicles crunch together.

  Careful not to scream, he jumped back.

  “You fucking twat,” he muttered.

  Lilah reached under her mattress, producing a large kitchen knife she had stolen from the breakroom.

  “What are you going to do, Lilah? Stab me? Please. That's the worst thing you could do—”

  She plunged the knife into his throat. Hot blood squirted from the deep hole, running down his hands like water. She yanked the knife back and without pausing to reflect, she threw the pointy edge into his chest. It stuck. Peter tried tugging on the handle, desperately needing to wrench it out. It twisted and turned, but remained lodged, the blade resting inches from his heart. After a few valiant tugs, Peter's legs betrayed him and his body collapsed on the hard linoleum, bleeding everywhere.

  “You... bitch,” he said, blood spurting out of his mouth.

  Abandoning the bag of clothes, Lilah left the room without looking back.

  -14-

  Matty's eyes weighed him down. He contemplated heading straight for bed, but decided saying goodnight to Lilah and thanking her for earlier was the better move, not to mention elevate him out of the friend-zone. Or so he hoped. He knew Chris Atkins would approve; even if he was a major douchebag, Atkins had game. Chris Atkins wouldn't, however, approve of bringing along his advanced Earth Science book to the party. But he couldn't help it. It was a little piece of the past and damn it—he liked it. Made him feel normal again.

  Strolling down the corridor, he passed Shondra, who waved and rubbed his chee
k, wishing him goodnight. She also asked where his father was, and Matty said he didn't know, that the last time he saw Sam was about twenty minutes ago in the loading bay. Shondra smiled, thanked him, then told him to be careful.

  “People are on edge right now,” she added.

  “Yes, ma'am.”

  “You look closely after your sisters. They're going to need their brother. Now more than ever.”

  After Matty told her he'd do his best, he continued toward Lilah's room, hoping she would be there. Two minutes later, he found himself standing outside her door. He raised his knuckles to the wood and stopped himself.

  What if she's naked in there?

  The thought aroused him. He imagined a scenario where she invited him in and unbuckled his pants while nibbling softly on his neck. In the vision, Lilah threw him down on her mattress, mounted him, and rode him until he finished. He didn't know what finishing felt like, so his imagination worked hard to conjure the sensation.

  I don't think I can do this.

  Reality's needle popped his fantasy. He tucked his erection away the best he could, pulling his shirt below his belt. It didn't conceal his harmless weapon completely, so he used his textbook to get the job done.

  Knocking three times, Matty closed his eyes, wishing dreams came true once in a while. When she didn't answer, he knocked again. “Lilah?” he asked, the lump wedging its way into his esophagus again. “You in there?” He knocked twice more, and then looked at the floor. Little red droplets of what could only be blood speckled the floor. The trail ran the length of the hallway and disappeared under the door. “Lilah? Are you hurt?” Matty's stomach bubbled like he ate something too spicy. He tried the knob, finding it unlocked. “Lilah? I'm coming in. If you're... not decent, I recommend you put some clothes on.” Recommend you put some clothes on? Who talks like that? Matty scolded himself as he pushed open the door.

  The body on the floor lay still. A pool of blood puddled around him, nearly stretching the entire length of the office. Crimson splatter decorated the walls and the bed sheets. The knife Matty had used to slice himself pumpkin pie on more than one occasion remained lodged in the kid's neck. Peter. That was his name. Peter had been a quiet kid who stuck mostly to himself, until a few days ago. He had been chatty during the last meeting when his father told them what happened at the gas station. Right around the same time Lilah came to them.

  Matty spotted a few articles of clothing on her bed. Messily arranged. Next to a plastic bag. Matty pieced the puzzle together quickly.

  She killed him, he thought. She killed him and...

  He suddenly realized that the droplets outside weren't leading in—they were leading out.

  Oh, shit.

  Stumbling back, strength evacuated the lower half of his body. He felt ill. Reaching for the small garbage can outside the office, Matty puked. Dinner heaved itself onto the floor, splashing his knees. The microwaveable Salisbury steak was still easily recognizable.

  Using the wall as a friend, Matty stood himself up. His head spun like a carousel ride operated by a lunatic. The hallway twisted and turned, the floor shaking violently beneath him. The blood stuck in his mind. It wasn't so much the blood itself, it was the amount of it. Sure, he had scraped a few knees and elbows in the past. He fell off his skateboard a few years back, tore himself up pretty badly, he remembered. His knees looked like shredded wheat when he finally worked up the courage to look at what he'd done. There was blood then. A lot of it. But nothing compared to what covered Lilah's floor.

  She did that! She killed him!

  Maybe she was protecting herself. Maybe he tried to rape her.

  Then why is she running? Huh? Ask yourself that.

  He did ask himself exactly that, unable to find any answer that fit.

  The droplets led him to the back emergency exit. The door, ajar, was used mostly by smokers and those who enjoyed a little fresh air once the sun went down. A bloody handprint marked the door, telling Matty he was heading in the right direction.

  It's almost sunup. What are you doing? a voice asked, one that very well could've belonged to his father.

  He needed to know why she did it. Needed to. It didn't add up. Didn't make sense. None. The murder. How she ended up there. The story about her parents, which he actually believed until the butchered body made him question everything that happened over the past seventy-two hours. He even wondered if “Lilah” was her real name.

  He pushed open the door. In the distance, Matty spotted her, running. Down the highway. Toward dawn.

  Matty sprinted after her. Something propelled his legs. It wasn't fear. If he was afraid, he would have stayed in the goddamn store, throwing up the rest of his steak. No, it wasn't fear. He was beyond that and tired of being afraid all the time. Fear held him back in the past. Going forward, he promised himself that he wouldn't miss out on opportunities because of fear. He was a new man. Reborn with a new attitude. A new way of looking at things.

  “I'm going to end up like Clay Burrows. Or the Robinsons. A pile of ash. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  Despite that declaration, his legs still carried him. For what seemed like miles they carried him further and further. He kept his distance from Lilah, careful not to tip her off. He shrank back when she slowed, jogged when she ran. The sun hadn't revealed itself, although evidence of its coming brightened a good portion of the sky, basking the streets in a peachy shine.

  When she reached downtown Carver's Grove, the town his mother lived, Matty stopped to catch his breath. She stood outside the gates of the town zoo, a popular attraction before The Burn, a place he had taken school trips to at least once a year. Lilah rested outside of the gates, bending over, placing her hands on her knees. She yelled something at the gates and nothing happened. Newspapers blew across the street in the soft breeze. A Coke can dragged itself along the pavement, making a noise that would ordinarily make Matty cringe. Instead, he ignored the clatter and studied the girl he had admittedly, after three days, fallen in love with.

  Dammit. Why did it have to be her?

  Love, impossible to understand, especially at Matty's age, had undefinable attributes he figured he would never comprehend, even if he read a thousand books on the subject. He didn't know why he loved her; just that he did.

  “I love her,” he said aloud. It felt good to say those words, like something evil inside had been purified. “I love her.” The words brought warmth to his bones and a smile to his face.

  Lilah kicked the gates. They swung open. Two men completely garbed in robes, hoods concealing their identities, met her. They waved her in. She stumbled forward. The gates closed behind her, swallowing her like a giant mouth.

  “No...” Matty said. “No, this isn't right.”

  He stepped forward, but before his foot met the pavement, something grabbed him, tackling him to the ground. Matty tried fending off the two arms that had corralled him, wrestled with him, and pinned him easily. He threw punches that failed to hit anything solid. Once the mysterious figure had him positioned to where he could no longer move, Matty gave up, succumbed to the strong man's restraints. The figure flipped him over and Matty peered up at a face he almost recognized.

  “Matthew?” the figure asked. “Matthew, is that you?”

  The world brightened immediately, before Matty's mind tripped into darkness.

  “THE ZOOKEEPERS”

  EPISODE 5

  3 MONTHS AGO

  Sweat trickled down his forehead, stinging his eyes. Drying himself with the black band on his wrist, the jogger sprinted forward, trying to keep pace with the woman who had stolen his heart. She peeped over her shoulder a few times, smiling the smile he'd forever adore. She laughed and he returned the gesture.

  “What's so funny?” he asked.

  “The Red River marathon is only a few months away, Mr. Gaines,” she said. “Your butt needs to get in gear.”

  Up for the challenge, he pushed himself. It took everything he could muster to catch her ta
il.

  “There you go, old man.”

  “I'm not as old as I look.”

  “Oh no? Could've fooled me.”

  “Brenda, did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?” Bob asked, though it really wasn't a question.

  She halted immediately. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, she stared at him like he had insulted her, rather than complimented her. He ran a few feet past her, then turned and ran in place while enjoying the breathtaking stupor on her face.

  “What?”

  “Where'd that come from?”

  Bob Gaines shrugged. “Just thought I'd tell you. I don't get to tell you much. So I did. What's the big deal?”

  “Nothing...” she said, still dumbfounded. “You just never really... express yourself that way.”

  He slowed, and eventually stopped. “I know. And I'm sorry. I just, I've never been that way. Even with my ex. I just... I take that stuff for granted. I don't want to be like that anymore. I want to tell you I love you every day and that you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met.”

  “Bob...” She took a breath. “You're going to make me cry.”

  “It's just... if something were to happen to me...”

  Her expression faded. She tilted her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips. “What's going to happen to you?”

  “I dunno. Life. Things happen. Not saying they are, just if something does happen, I don't want you going through life thinking I didn't appreciate you.”

  Brenda walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him harder than she ever had.

  “Since Sam has the kids tonight, I was thinking you and I could go out for a nice dinner. Somewhere fancy. Maybe that Italian restaurant you love. The one downtown. And since we have the house to ourselves—”

  “Yes. Absolutely,” she responded before he could finish.

  “Can we do it by candlelight?” he asked, smirking.

  “You know that's my favorite.”

  Their embrace ended and they parted like neither one of them wanted to let go.

  “We have to get back to the house. The Robinsons are coming over. Remember?” Brenda asked.