Open All Night by Eirik Gumeny

Author:Eirik Gumeny [Gumeny, Eirik]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: horror, anthology, short story, retail, diners
Publisher: Eirik Gumeny
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

It was almost noon when Rusty dragged himself back to the storeroom. The brass and copper diving suit he was wearing had helped him get close enough to Old Suckerbitch to deliver a diving-bell’s worth of semi-legal explosives into a tooth-studded circular orifice he only glimpsed through the bleary window in his helmet.

Ed had been less fortunate, unable to help himself from directing the beam of his lamp directly onto his own creation to see what it had become. Rusty had hauled him back to the surface, but his thinker was busted beyond repair. When Rusty bid him a sad farewell, Ed was laughing like a maniac under a sticky shower of blood and flesh chunks—human as well as fish. Their efforts had wounded the monster but did not kill her, which only added to the chaos and destruction. Rusty’s brave plan had failed, and the town was doomed.

Yvette’s end, at least, had been quick. A coiled tentacle, a single squeeze, and a pop that would echo through Rusty’s nightmares, if he lived long enough to have any.

Rusty gathered the remains of his strength to remove his gloves and unscrew his helmet. He pulled a handful of inventory forms and a pencil from Ed’s worktable and began to write, filling two pages with cramped cursive. Then he folded the note, tucked it into his scuba suit, and crawled to the freezer. He was relieved to see that Ed had neglected to refasten the lock. Using both hands, he pushed the lid open, bracing himself for the rush of swirling violet light.

Given what he was leaving behind, the glowing tunnel looked almost inviting. Which was good, because Rusty didn’t know how many times he would have to go through it before he came out where he needed to be. Some disasters, he now understood, could not be prevented, no matter how bravely one fought against them. But that didn’t mean there was nothing he could do. There was still a chance to make things different. Better.

He pulled himself up to the edge of the freezer, scrabbled over the rim, and dropped headfirst into the wormhole.

“Godspeed,” he whispered, not sure if he was wishing himself luck or merely describing his current velocity.

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