Eye by Tim Black

Author:Tim Black [Black, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Published: 2013-03-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

From his seat behind the center row of card tables that faced the pews of St. Joseph’s worship area, Phil Murphy struck the makeshift wooden gavel on his wife’s cheese board and called for decorum in the church.

“The meeting of the Security Committee will come to order,” he declared. To Murphy’s left sat the truck driver, Kevin Krumme, and the bricklayer, Alberto Gonzalez. To his right sat Wrigley the carpenter and Tom Kane’s friend Mack Morrison. About 30 of their neighbors were in the audience: Most sat on the right side of the church in the pews behind Reverend Lundgren, who sat beside Tiva McFoley. Lundgren was dressed in his Sunday suit.

Tom Kane, sitting on the left side in a pew by himself, looked around but didn’t notice Tiva’s husband Tim. Was there something going on between Lundgren and Tiva? Tom wondered. Tiva seemed to be looking at the minister worshipfully. Too bad Betty wasn’t there; she could tell what was going on with one look at them. “Canoodling, Thomas.” That was one of her favorite expressions. Tom turned around and nodded to Jake Russo in the pew behind him, sitting next to Mike Jackson and Jim Kisper, the electrician.

“Looks like Lundgren rallied his troops,” Jake whispered.

Tom nodded in agreement.

“I think he’s not playing with a full deck,” Jake continued with a smile. “But his faithful will follow him anywhere. Like lemmings.”

“Yeah,” Tom said.

From his seat behind the center card table, Murphy glared at Tom to be quiet. Just like in class, Tom realized, the second kid is the one who is caught.

“I guess everyone knows we lost a member of our committee, Gus Stevenson, which puts us at five members. If no one has an objection, I’d like to move that we continue with only five members on the committee.”

“I second that,” said Mack Morrison.

“Any discussion?” Murphy said, glancing back and forth to his committee members. “No? All those in favor….”

“Aye,” the group said in unison.

“Okay,” Murphy said. “Old business. Mike, how is the fence on 10th Street coming along?”

Mike Jackson stood up in his pew. “We should have the bamboo fence along 10th Street completed by the end of the week, to reinforce our electrification. Of course, we have to go around the church. We are going to put the gate on the south side of St. Joe’s.”

“What about the beach, Mike?” Murphy asked.

“Well, you all know Tom Kane’s boy Alan spotted the creatures in a lagoon about a mile down the beach. So it is possible that the creatures could attack us from the beach side of the neighborhood. I suggest we build a seawall, like that one on Bathtub Beach?”

“What would you use for construction, Mike?”

“Cinder block.”

Wrigley the carpenter, interrupted. “Where would you get cinder block, Mike?”

“One or two of the unoccupied houses,” Mike suggested. “And perhaps a few automobiles as well.”

“That’s someone’s property,” Murphy objected. “We can’t do that.”

“And we’ll need our cars after FEMA gets here,” Javier Thatcher added.

Jake Russo spoke up. “FEMA isn’t coming, folks.

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