time: crowds filled the sidewalks, cars
crept along the streets, horns blaring. Other than the outlandish
gargoyles keeping vigil over the crowds from the corners of every
building, this might be any city in America. I pointed to a
particularly hideous monstrosity overhanging the street from a
fifties-styled office building of about forty floors.
“ Those
weren’t there last time, were they?”
“ No.”
As if responding to
my reference, the gargoyle’s head pivoted toward us, the
red-glowing eyes set in its cockatrice face locating us at the edge
of the crowd. It shifted position to see us better.
Shit.
“ Let’s
get out of here,” Piper said, mercifully catching me by the
sleeve instead of touching me directly.
We melded with the
flowing crowd, ducking our heads to avoid the gargoyle’s
stare. As we moved away from the building-mounted beast, I noticed
no one in the crowd made eye contact; they all stared straight
ahead, eyes glazed, more than one person bumping us
unapologetically. We weaved our way through the press of zombies
stepping on toes and bumping arms. Three blocks passed under our
feet before I looked back to see the gargoyle had settled back into
place, but one on the nearest building watched us from beneath
hooded lids.
“ They’re
still watching,” I whispered.
“ Yes.”
We fell into the
rhythm of the crowd and with each building we passed I wondered if
we should check its directory for a name I recognized. Piper faced
straight ahead, walking like she knew where to go.
“ Where
are we going?”
“ I
don’t know,” she replied.
I was looking at a
building when she answered, but I’d bet she shrugged.
The people we
passed during the next half-hour didn’t look exactly alike,
but extremely similar: ashen complexions, drab gray clothes, blank
eyes, mouths pulled taut out of fear or extreme constipation. The
latter might explain the sulfurous smell permeating the city.
While checking out
our fellow commuters, I noticed a stir in the crowd across the
street. I stopped to see what it was and the crowd flowed around me
like a stream around a rock. I stood on tippy-toe to locate the
cause of the disturbance.
“ Hey,
Pipe. What’s going on over th--”
A head popped out
of the throng, halting my last word before it made it over my lips.
I recognized the head.
Marty.
Another lucky
coincidence? Possible...but in Hell?
Maybe God’s
not the only one who works in mysterious ways.
“ Hey,”
I yelled without waiting to see if Piper had heard me. “Marty!”
I pushed through
the crowd, bumping a dozen people on the way. When I reached the
edge of the sidewalk, I stopped, waiting for a break in the
bumper-to-bumper traffic. None came, so I took a page out of an
action flick and jumped onto the hood of the closest car, intending
to leap from one to the next and make my way across the road like
the frog in that old arcade game.
It wasn’t as
easy as it looked in the movies or playing ‘Frogger’.
As soon as my foot
hit metal, I lost my balance and left an ass-shaped dent in some
blank-faced guy’s hood. I scrambled to my feet and stumbled to
the next car, wobbled momentarily, then jumped to the next, arms
extended like a tightrope walker.
Imagine how
difficult this would be if they were going faster than three
miles-per-hour.
Horns blared. One
guy jammed on his brakes when I landed on his hood and I almost slid
off the front and under his wheels. I righted myself and flipped him
the bird; he stared back with empty eyes and taut lips. From its
place on the nearest corner, a gargoyle stretched its wings. By
then, only one lane separated me from my goal. I looked up and saw
Piper standing on the curb, hand extended, encouraging me. I leaped
from the last car landing awkwardly beside her without help. Maybe
if I’d accepted her assistance, I wouldn’t have twisted
my ankle.
“ How’d
you get here?”
She shrugged.
“Angel stuff.”
“ Hmph.
Could you have helped
crept along the streets, horns blaring. Other than the outlandish
gargoyles keeping vigil over the crowds from the corners of every
building, this might be any city in America. I pointed to a
particularly hideous monstrosity overhanging the street from a
fifties-styled office building of about forty floors.
“ Those
weren’t there last time, were they?”
“ No.”
As if responding to
my reference, the gargoyle’s head pivoted toward us, the
red-glowing eyes set in its cockatrice face locating us at the edge
of the crowd. It shifted position to see us better.
Shit.
“ Let’s
get out of here,” Piper said, mercifully catching me by the
sleeve instead of touching me directly.
We melded with the
flowing crowd, ducking our heads to avoid the gargoyle’s
stare. As we moved away from the building-mounted beast, I noticed
no one in the crowd made eye contact; they all stared straight
ahead, eyes glazed, more than one person bumping us
unapologetically. We weaved our way through the press of zombies
stepping on toes and bumping arms. Three blocks passed under our
feet before I looked back to see the gargoyle had settled back into
place, but one on the nearest building watched us from beneath
hooded lids.
“ They’re
still watching,” I whispered.
“ Yes.”
We fell into the
rhythm of the crowd and with each building we passed I wondered if
we should check its directory for a name I recognized. Piper faced
straight ahead, walking like she knew where to go.
“ Where
are we going?”
“ I
don’t know,” she replied.
I was looking at a
building when she answered, but I’d bet she shrugged.
The people we
passed during the next half-hour didn’t look exactly alike,
but extremely similar: ashen complexions, drab gray clothes, blank
eyes, mouths pulled taut out of fear or extreme constipation. The
latter might explain the sulfurous smell permeating the city.
While checking out
our fellow commuters, I noticed a stir in the crowd across the
street. I stopped to see what it was and the crowd flowed around me
like a stream around a rock. I stood on tippy-toe to locate the
cause of the disturbance.
“ Hey,
Pipe. What’s going on over th--”
A head popped out
of the throng, halting my last word before it made it over my lips.
I recognized the head.
Marty.
Another lucky
coincidence? Possible...but in Hell?
Maybe God’s
not the only one who works in mysterious ways.
“ Hey,”
I yelled without waiting to see if Piper had heard me. “Marty!”
I pushed through
the crowd, bumping a dozen people on the way. When I reached the
edge of the sidewalk, I stopped, waiting for a break in the
bumper-to-bumper traffic. None came, so I took a page out of an
action flick and jumped onto the hood of the closest car, intending
to leap from one to the next and make my way across the road like
the frog in that old arcade game.
It wasn’t as
easy as it looked in the movies or playing ‘Frogger’.
As soon as my foot
hit metal, I lost my balance and left an ass-shaped dent in some
blank-faced guy’s hood. I scrambled to my feet and stumbled to
the next car, wobbled momentarily, then jumped to the next, arms
extended like a tightrope walker.
Imagine how
difficult this would be if they were going faster than three
miles-per-hour.
Horns blared. One
guy jammed on his brakes when I landed on his hood and I almost slid
off the front and under his wheels. I righted myself and flipped him
the bird; he stared back with empty eyes and taut lips. From its
place on the nearest corner, a gargoyle stretched its wings. By
then, only one lane separated me from my goal. I looked up and saw
Piper standing on the curb, hand extended, encouraging me. I leaped
from the last car landing awkwardly beside her without help. Maybe
if I’d accepted her assistance, I wouldn’t have twisted
my ankle.
“ How’d
you get here?”
She shrugged.
“Angel stuff.”
“ Hmph.
Could you have helped
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