in the head, but then decided against it and rushed over to the car as well.
Hack got in the driver's side, pulled the door closed, and smashed his open palm against an ant that was crawling up his leg. "Any other ones in here?"
Slash used the heel of his shoe to crush an ant on the toe of his other shoe. "I don't think so."
"Well _look_!"
"Don't yell at me, you ignorant little moron. I'm not the one who shot the cashier and started this whole problem."
"Oh, yeah, that's right, I shot the kid at the register and so these ants were sent to punish humanity for my sins."
"That's not what I meant," snapped Slash. "I meant that if you hadn't shot the kid, we'd have been out of the store before any of this ant crap started!"
"Robbing the store was your idea in the first place!"
"But we weren't supposed to kill anybody!"
"If you hadn't..." Hack trailed off. "We just need to get out of here."
"Well, no shit."
During the fight, Dustin kept watching for one of them to relax their grip on their weapons, but it didn't happen. He looked through the back window at Louise. She was still fighting the ants, but they had her completely covered.
"Listen to me," said Dustin. "There's no reason to keep me around. Do you think anybody is interested in a couple of bank robbers right now? Come on. That woman doesn't deserve to die like that. Let me out of her so I can help her."
"How about ... no?" said Slash.
"You don't need a hostage anymore! Nobody cares. I'm just going to get in your way. Let me go so maybe I can help out!"
Slash shook his head. "Nope. Maybe the cops won't be looking for us for a while, but I'd have to be crazy not to stick with the ant expert. Hell, for all I know you had something to do with this whole mess. Seems like a pretty big coincidence that you just happen to be in town when the ants come out to play."
"That's right," said Hack. "Man, we couldn't have picked a better hostage, could we? So what do you know about all this, Bug Boy?"
"I don't know anything," said Dustin. "But I might know where to find somebody who does. Do you know where Trexler Road is?"
"Yeah."
"Then take me there."
Hack let out a snort of laughter. "What do you think, I'm your chauffeur all of a sudden?"
"We have no idea how far this ant thing has spread," said Dustin. "Even a couple of psychos like you two have _somebody_ in this city you care about, right?"
"No, not really," said Hack.
"And maybe it's not just this city. But I think it's a little unusual that an expert on _Solenopsis Invicta_ shows up in town the same day we have a mass swarm of them, almost ten times their usual size."
"_Sole_-what?"
"Red fire ants. And if you don't take me where I need to go, it won't be long before you find out how they got that name."
Hack and Slash exchanged a look.
"I think we can manage that," Hack said.
----
*-CHAPTER SEVENTEEN-*
Roberta froze.
There were ants crawling over her entire body. In her hair, on her arms, down the back of her shirt. At least two of them were on her face. She stood there, arms outstretched, not moving a muscle.
"Don't move," said Dr. Ruiz in a whisper. "Nobody make any noise. We'll get them off you, I promise."
Roberta let out an involuntary whimper as an ant crawled across her neck.
Dr. Ruiz began to unbutton his white shirt, revealing a comical yellow undershirt with a smiley face underneath. Keeping his eyes focused on Roberta, Zachary stripped off his own tee shirt. With Dr. Ruiz one step ahead, the two men very cautiously moved toward her.
"Just stay calm," Dr. Ruiz whispered.
Mentally, Roberta was as far from staying calm as she could possibly be. But paralyzing fear did occasionally have its advantages.
Dr. Ruiz carefully began to use his shirt to wipe the ants off of her face, while Zachary went to work on her shoulders.
"It's going to be fine, yes? No problems here."
Several ants fell to the floor, but Roberta could feel them crawling right back
Hack got in the driver's side, pulled the door closed, and smashed his open palm against an ant that was crawling up his leg. "Any other ones in here?"
Slash used the heel of his shoe to crush an ant on the toe of his other shoe. "I don't think so."
"Well _look_!"
"Don't yell at me, you ignorant little moron. I'm not the one who shot the cashier and started this whole problem."
"Oh, yeah, that's right, I shot the kid at the register and so these ants were sent to punish humanity for my sins."
"That's not what I meant," snapped Slash. "I meant that if you hadn't shot the kid, we'd have been out of the store before any of this ant crap started!"
"Robbing the store was your idea in the first place!"
"But we weren't supposed to kill anybody!"
"If you hadn't..." Hack trailed off. "We just need to get out of here."
"Well, no shit."
During the fight, Dustin kept watching for one of them to relax their grip on their weapons, but it didn't happen. He looked through the back window at Louise. She was still fighting the ants, but they had her completely covered.
"Listen to me," said Dustin. "There's no reason to keep me around. Do you think anybody is interested in a couple of bank robbers right now? Come on. That woman doesn't deserve to die like that. Let me out of her so I can help her."
"How about ... no?" said Slash.
"You don't need a hostage anymore! Nobody cares. I'm just going to get in your way. Let me go so maybe I can help out!"
Slash shook his head. "Nope. Maybe the cops won't be looking for us for a while, but I'd have to be crazy not to stick with the ant expert. Hell, for all I know you had something to do with this whole mess. Seems like a pretty big coincidence that you just happen to be in town when the ants come out to play."
"That's right," said Hack. "Man, we couldn't have picked a better hostage, could we? So what do you know about all this, Bug Boy?"
"I don't know anything," said Dustin. "But I might know where to find somebody who does. Do you know where Trexler Road is?"
"Yeah."
"Then take me there."
Hack let out a snort of laughter. "What do you think, I'm your chauffeur all of a sudden?"
"We have no idea how far this ant thing has spread," said Dustin. "Even a couple of psychos like you two have _somebody_ in this city you care about, right?"
"No, not really," said Hack.
"And maybe it's not just this city. But I think it's a little unusual that an expert on _Solenopsis Invicta_ shows up in town the same day we have a mass swarm of them, almost ten times their usual size."
"_Sole_-what?"
"Red fire ants. And if you don't take me where I need to go, it won't be long before you find out how they got that name."
Hack and Slash exchanged a look.
"I think we can manage that," Hack said.
----
*-CHAPTER SEVENTEEN-*
Roberta froze.
There were ants crawling over her entire body. In her hair, on her arms, down the back of her shirt. At least two of them were on her face. She stood there, arms outstretched, not moving a muscle.
"Don't move," said Dr. Ruiz in a whisper. "Nobody make any noise. We'll get them off you, I promise."
Roberta let out an involuntary whimper as an ant crawled across her neck.
Dr. Ruiz began to unbutton his white shirt, revealing a comical yellow undershirt with a smiley face underneath. Keeping his eyes focused on Roberta, Zachary stripped off his own tee shirt. With Dr. Ruiz one step ahead, the two men very cautiously moved toward her.
"Just stay calm," Dr. Ruiz whispered.
Mentally, Roberta was as far from staying calm as she could possibly be. But paralyzing fear did occasionally have its advantages.
Dr. Ruiz carefully began to use his shirt to wipe the ants off of her face, while Zachary went to work on her shoulders.
"It's going to be fine, yes? No problems here."
Several ants fell to the floor, but Roberta could feel them crawling right back
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