Skulls by Tim Marquitz Page A

air.
    The man’s eyes widened a moment as he stared at Dennis, then narrowed to tiny slits. He reached out and set his gloved hand gently on Dennis’s cheek before brushing the strands of hair out of his face.
    He nodded, the wish granted.
    The man took a step back as Dennis drew one last breath. The cold air tingled in his lungs. His eyes locked on the axe and he watched as it was hefted into the air. The glistening edge sparkled in the light.
    As it streaked toward him, Dennis couldn’t help but feel relief. He watched the axe, through dry eyes, until it disappeared from view. The shuddering thud of its impact echoed through his bones. There was the sudden sense of falling and Dennis saw the ground approach.
    He felt the rough plastic flooring scratch at his cheek when he landed. His eyes lolled back and forth a moment before settling. He looked at his body and marveled. It twitched and struggled against its binds, a geyser of red spewing from his neck.
    His sight darkened at the edges. He glanced at the man who knelt before him. Dennis met his gaze and smiled up at him. The man was slowly swallowed by the encroaching blackness.
    Though he couldn’t be sure through the mask, he thought the man had smiled back. It was Dennis’s last thought.

Chapter Sixteen
    Jacob fell to his knees, his eyes locked on the empty sockets of Dennis’s skull. He felt as though his head were full of cotton candy.
    He hadn’t paid much attention to Dennis since he’d known him. Apparently, no one had. A sinking guilt settled like an anchor in his fluttering stomach. He staggered to his feet and returned Dennis to his niche. He’d found a happy home at last.
    Jacob apologized out loud. The words were hollow in his ears. He knew he wasn’t responsible for Dennis’s death—or even his life—but had he known how bad things were, he might have been able to help. He could have been the friend Dennis never had, the one he needed. Instead, Jacob had ignored him like everyone else had. Now he was dead.
    Worse yet, he died with a smile on his face. He’d wanted to die. He’d truly wanted to die.
    That was too much for Jacob. He staggered to the ladder and took his time climbing up it. He made sure each hold was solid before he went on to the next. One second he could see clearly, and the next, the world had grayed. Katie, Terrance, and Dennis stared out from the gloom.
    He shook his head, but the visions pelted his mind like a steady rain. Afraid he would fall, he clutched to the wooden ladder.
    It took him twenty minutes to climb free of the bunker. He lay in the foliage shelter, peering through the thick leaves as he waited for his mind to settle. Finally, he realized the sun was sinking from view. The shadows thickened around him.
    Wanting nothing to do with the woods after dark, Jacob got to his feet and sealed the bunker. He made his way through the shrubs and out into the woods. His sight continued to flicker, his mind drifting as though his brain had slipped a gear. He made it to the barbed wire fence after just a few moments.
    The sun almost set, he ran as fast as he dared. He plotted his course through the lightest gathering of trees. The branches lashed at him as he passed, but he welcomed their attention. Each tiny sting cleared his mind a little more than the last. The burning of his lungs injected just enough pain to keep him from slipping back into the dreams of the dead.
    As the sun disappeared, Jacob found himself panting down by the highway. Though it made his walk longer, he was grateful for the yellowed lines that would lead him toward home.
    The whirr of passing traffic kept him to the side of the asphalt, but it also gave him something to focus on. He was weak, his legs trembling. He stumbled on, then cut across the Downs where the highways met, hoping to shave time off his trip.
    As he made his way through the quiet neighborhood, Jacob felt a tingle at the nape of his neck. He glanced around, but saw no one there. He