Hollis leans against the kitchen door, considering. “So, they’re saying...”
“That people are getting better,” Bill says, shocky. “Or else they wouldn’t be worried about that? Why would they care if...”
“Kill ‘em all anyway,” Eddie says, smirking around his cigar, and good god but Hollis wants to throw him out into the street himself. See how long his attitude keeps him afloat out there. “Set ‘em on fire, I say, and--”
“Edward,” Nelson says, not moving from where he’s still sitting attentively, not even moving his eyes. “If you don’t stop talking, I am going to set you on fire.”
“Whatever, man. I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
Nelson leans forward a little bit, licks his lips between teeth that want to clench. Sally looks like she wants a piece of this action too.
“No,” Hollis says, quiet and even. “You’re actually the only one thinking it. As usual.”
A stretch of silence so profound that the the voices on the turned-down scanner start to become intelligible, and then Eddie shrugs, slumps away from the counter.
“Do what you want,” he says, “But you heard what they said. Who knows when I might start feeling threatened by your fucking mess of a boyfriend in there?”
Bill looks up, genuinely caught off guard, and Eddie just smirks and tips an imaginary hat, and then he’s out the door and back off down the hall.
“He’s not...” Bill says, looking between Hollis and Sally. “We’re not--”
“Ignore him,” Hollis says, and he feels a little sick for having brought it up earlier. Feels sick if it’s true, feels sick if it isn’t. “He’s all talk. We’ll keep him away.”
Bill shakes his head, and it’s like he’s shaking something off--like all of his size and strength come back at once. “No, I can keep him away,” he says, taking a breath. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Good,” Sally says, and picks up the shotgun propped against the counter; shoulders it on her way out the door.
part 5b
“That people are getting better,” Bill says, shocky. “Or else they wouldn’t be worried about that? Why would they care if...”
“Kill ‘em all anyway,” Eddie says, smirking around his cigar, and good god but Hollis wants to throw him out into the street himself. See how long his attitude keeps him afloat out there. “Set ‘em on fire, I say, and--”
“Edward,” Nelson says, not moving from where he’s still sitting attentively, not even moving his eyes. “If you don’t stop talking, I am going to set you on fire.”
“Whatever, man. I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
Nelson leans forward a little bit, licks his lips between teeth that want to clench. Sally looks like she wants a piece of this action too.
“No,” Hollis says, quiet and even. “You’re actually the only one thinking it. As usual.”
A stretch of silence so profound that the the voices on the turned-down scanner start to become intelligible, and then Eddie shrugs, slumps away from the counter.
“Do what you want,” he says, “But you heard what they said. Who knows when I might start feeling threatened by your fucking mess of a boyfriend in there?”
Bill looks up, genuinely caught off guard, and Eddie just smirks and tips an imaginary hat, and then he’s out the door and back off down the hall.
“He’s not...” Bill says, looking between Hollis and Sally. “We’re not--”
“Ignore him,” Hollis says, and he feels a little sick for having brought it up earlier. Feels sick if it’s true, feels sick if it isn’t. “He’s all talk. We’ll keep him away.”
Bill shakes his head, and it’s like he’s shaking something off--like all of his size and strength come back at once. “No, I can keep him away,” he says, taking a breath. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Good,” Sally says, and picks up the shotgun propped against the counter; shoulders it on her way out the door.
*