Flashmob by Christopher Farnsworth

Author:Christopher Farnsworth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-06-27T04:00:00+00:00

“I thought you never got hit,” Sara says. She looks at me from her little pod in first class, across the aisle from mine. Her hair is still wet even though we both had time to change into dry clothes. She’s trying to be playful. To laugh off the experience. It’s a pretty common reaction after something frightening or shocking, and it speaks well to her mental health and resilience.

I’m not quite there yet.

The cut below my eye has stopped bleeding. But my jaw still hurts, and I’ve got blood on my new, dry shirt, so I’m not seeing the humor.

It should go without saying that we had to take a later flight. The police decided to let me off with a warning, even though I was the one attacked. It helped considerably when I said I didn’t want to press charges. The people in the mob separated and went back to being themselves, on their way to their final destinations with a story to tell when they arrived. You’ll never believe what happened at the airport . . . Oh yeah. I even punched him. Guy had it coming, what can I say?

At least it’s quiet now. Most of the people in first class have pulled down their shades, put on sleeping masks, and taken drugs to knock themselves out. Something happens when you yank a human being thirty-two thousand feet into the air. At some deep, almost cellular level, everyone in a plane knows their fate is no longer in their hands. For at least a couple of hours, they are free of gravity and all the cares and worries back on the ground.

Sara’s still waiting for an answer.

“Too much going on,” I tell her. “One guy trying to get my picture, dealing with the gate agent—”

“Oh sure.” She’s smirking. Amusement dances in her mind.

“There was a crowd too. I’ve told you I’m not great with crowds.”

“Right, it’s like your kryptonite.” Now she’s smiling.

“I’m not offering excuses here.” I try to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “Just reasons.”

“Of course not,” she says. “It was a fluke thing. I’m sure it happens to a lot of guys with psychic powers and Special Forces training.”

I just scowl at her and turn away, which nearly makes her laugh out loud.

“Well. We know Godwin is aware of what we’re doing,” she says. “That was tailor-made to get you attacked.”

“You think?” I pick up my drink again.

I’m on my fifth Scotch. It still barely takes the edge off what I caught from that crowd—from the mob. They chose to let go, and let the primal, animal part of their brain do the driving.

They never see it like that, of course. That’s the excuse we always use. When the bodies are on the floor and the damage is done, people like to say that they lost control. “I didn’t know what I was doing.” “It just happened.” “I just saw red and it was over in a flash.”

Bullshit. I’ve been inside your heads.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.