Merely a Madness by Fairbrother SW

Author:Fairbrother, SW [Fairbrother, SW]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-07-27T22:00:00+00:00

3.

Daddy Kozlow is next. A single bullet enters his forehead and punches out the other side, and the big man falls backwards. Dirty water and blood splash Mullen's face. The horror of it pulses through his veins, and his vision blurs. Mullen doesn't even think. He shoves Hannah behind him, closes his eyes, waits for the bullet.

It doesn't come.

Hannah's breath hitches. “No, no, no!” she wails. “What did you do that for?”

Mullen opens his eyes. Arnou has lowered his gun. His expression is unreadable. Mullen has no idea what is going on, but his heart is racing so fast it feels like it might bolt out of his chest. Panic slithers up out of his belly, and infects his brain freezing him in place. He knows he should do something, but his body is too leaden and his brain feels like it's about to shut down.

The Earthling raises his eyebrows at her as if he doesn't understand the question. He asks one of his own instead. “Where are the others?”

“John.” Hannah comes out from behind Mullen and shakes her head slowly. She makes the name sound like a plea and a question all at the same time. “John, please. There are children.”

“So?”

“Please.”

For what seems like forever, Arnou simply stares at her, expressionless. Eventually, he shrugs. “Fine.”

Hannah doesn't say anything, just points behind her into the dark.

Thoughts about Hannah are banging and screaming in Mullen's brain, but even as they surface, he's locking them up tight behind a door in his mind marked Do Not Ever Fucking Open, and that door is going to stay shut.

Arnou says something to the other Earthlings in a language Mullen doesn't understand, then two of the men – animals – slosh past in the direction of the railway platform where the Boy Most Likely To Ask Stupid Questions and the remaining Kozlows are about to find their current nightmare morphing into an even bigger one.

Arnou turns to Mullen and holds out his hand. Mullen looks at it stupidly. The whole thing is too weird, too surreal, and even though Arnou doesn't appear to intend to shoot either of them right now, Mullen's heart is still galloping. He stares at the Earthling's dirt-encrusted fingernails, and the only thought that swims out of the fog of his mind is I'm not shaking that.

Then he remembers that the man has a gun and clearly has no qualms about using it. Pride can take a back seat, thank you very much.

He's got his hand half way to Arnou when Hannah nudges him and whispers, “He wants your security key.”

Oh. Mullen hands it over.

“And your passwords,” Arnou says.

Mullen knows he's supposed to say no, but the man has a gun. What other option does he have? He gives Arnou his passwords and codes. It's only after he does that he realises Arnou no longer has any reason to keep them alive.

Fortunately the thought doesn't seem to immediately occur to Arnou because the Earthling just nods and records Mullen's passwords on his own ancient handheld.

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