The Warrior Retreat by John Lynch

Author:John Lynch [Lynch, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: High Explosive Horror
Published: 2022-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

FATHER AND SON

“Thanks, Dad,” Anthony said to Marcus. “I love the shakes here. I’m glad you changed your mind.”

Marcus nodded his head, smiling at his son. “No problem, kiddo. You know I can’t say no to you.” He took another bite of his cheeseburger and realized he was telling the truth. He couldn’t refuse the kid. Anthony had his father wrapped around his finger, and both father and son were well aware of that fact.

Marcus looked around the food court, taking in his surroundings. He sat with his back to the wall, observing everyone as they walked by. He took a mental note of everyone who entered the newly constructed Johnny Rockets. The place only had one point of entry and exit, but the floor to ceiling windows meant he had to monitor those, too.

Simpson couldn’t help it, the constant surveying of his surroundings. When he had arrived at his duty station in Hawaii what seemed like a lifetime ago, one of the first nuggets of wisdom that his fellow Marines with combat experience had bestowed upon him was that after he had experienced war—in the flesh, not the glorification of it in Hollywood—after he had lived, breathed, ate, shit, and pissed in a war zone every day month after month with the constant, smothering shadow of impending death around every corner, he would come home, if he was one of the lucky ones, a changed man. Paranoia of his fellow man would rule over him, and he would watch points of egress like a hawk. Sitting with his back to a wall would become a necessity, not a choice. How else would he make sure that nobody snuck up on him? And they were right. No matter how much work he put into healing himself, fixing whatever the war had broken within him, the urge to catalog every living being in his general vicinity, and have a plan to kill them if necessary, was something that would not be denied.

When you got down to the nitty gritty, the mall wasn’t an ideal place for a man like Marcus Simpson. Too many anonymous faces in a sea of people. And this being America, any of those fish in the sea could pack enough heat to execute every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the immediate vicinity.

But despite how much he hated the anxiety-ridden experience of being in a crowded location, he hated disappointing Anthony even more. And so the father and son duo found themselves out for a day filled with greasy burgers, dairy infused obesity, and fries littered with enough salt to send his blood pressure through the roof. Just the way he liked it.

He had to admit, Oreo milkshakes sweetened the deal.

“What do you say we go to Dave and Busters and play some games after you finish that shake, tough guy?” Marcus sucked the dregs of his shake from the bottom of the glass, slamming it down harder than he meant to. He smiled as Anthony tried emulating his actions.

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