The
Asylum patient drives through the foggy night, semi still as it was
just after Midwich, old dust and ash trailing from every joint and crevice. She slows for flashing lights, looks down from her
cab at the people standing around a car crash, one body still hanging
out the windshield, another down the way, but it seems struck by nothing
there.
The highway crew stares at her standing upright from
their work looking nearly accusatory if not simply that she does not
belong here. She looks away and rolls on.
A gas station a head, she fuels herself.
Heads
to the payout, windows fogged up inside. Peers in to see the man
bleeding out into the open cash tray. Punches the window through and
drops a handful of bills, grabs a bag of chips.
She drives away
then by what appears an old man walking with a cane, a boy alongside
walking down the road beneath the shadow of a spire passes over smokey
swirls from her passing.
The Boy - As the walk with the animals from the zoo, "Why should I care ?"
nameless - "About people ? It's debatable. But it will destroy the world with them."
The Boy - "Will that kill us ?"
nameless - "Well. Not really, no." Looks behind at the animals following. "But it will definitely kill all of them."
...
nameless - "Animals too."
_________
A
clanging sound on hollow hull, Morgan rushes annoyed to join the Orson crew above deck, and seeing Mars standing
below. The Orson points its shattered guns intuitively. Morgan drops
out, followed by a well armed Kurukulla spinning her guns, two
gearworkers and Andromeda drawing.
A gearworker kicks sand as Morgan walks up with the gun to his head. He grabs it with a
turn and shoots the alien god creeping from the cloud and puts it
back in her hand.
Morgan - Sheathes and pulls another, "Means nothing."
Mars
- "You were right." Nods with a smile, a bow to the crew, lastly to
her. "You were right." He turns away and catches one leaping by the
throat and tears the head from the body, grabs another and breaks its
spine over the knee and drops it twitching.
Laughs into the storm
and approaching shadows, "You were right !" The sounds of alien
hissing and bones breaking, more laughter amid. They back toward the
Orson, then faster.
The sound of its guns firing into the fray and
wisps of smoke along with.
________
nameless - From the
clouds, a small table in two chairs as the shadows grow behind the
higher one for a child, the spires behind nameless. "So let's play a
game."
The following animals gather around.
The Boy - A thought ... and then a laugh. "Why not ? For what do we play ?"
nameless - Sitting down tired by his cane, "Ohhh ... I know who you are."
The Boy looks at him is suspicion.
nameless - "We'll be playing for the world."
The Boy - Smiles and sits. "How about we play for the playing, while I do as I will."
The
Asylum Patient drives elsewhere, the spires turning overhead, passing
traffic, the shapes in the shadows seeming to close in on the road
ahead. As one seems to roar in dissipation on her grill.
She looks down at the cat thing in the passenger seat with a smile. The
blowing of the horn twice in the mist. A brass foot steps, one may
think it was the Orson but in fact it was the toe of a bell suit.