you all, something I hope will make the race much
more exciting. As you know, after you leave the service station you’ll be
heading into the Zone of Dead Roads. As you may not know is that the
zone is inhabited by both the Yuggs and the Zoners . I am giving another contest within the race. You
are to find the leader of the Zoners , a man named
Lord Bing Bong, and you are to kill him. His people have made it
difficult for the Yuggs and I do have a soft spot for
those ugly little things. So there it is. The first to kill Lord Bing Bong gets
a special prize. Now get ready. The race will continue in three minutes.”
Samson felt a tug
on his shirt. It was Paulo.
“What’s a Yugg ?”
“Not sure. Never
saw one but I think they’re some kind of typical post-nuke freak, a mutant.”
Paulo nodded. “I
have to go to the bathroom,” he said.
“You should’ve
gone earlier, kid. We gotta get going.”
“I’ll be quick.”
Samson put his
hand on Paulo’s back and guided him as they followed the signs to the restroom
on the side of the service station. The door was covered in yellowed newspaper
headlines all exclaiming the events leading to the nuclear holocaust of 2015.
The bathroom
consisted of one dirty sink and a dirtier toilet. Gas station bathrooms were
never clean to begin with but this one was disgusting. Its floor wasn’t visible
beneath the feces, hair, papers, and other unidentifiable debris. “Don’t touch
anything,” Samson said. “Just unzip, piss, and we’ll get out of here. Don’t
even touch the sink to wash your hands, okay?”
Paulo nodded and
walked to the toilet. While he urinated, Samson looked outside to make sure no
one was coming up to take them from surprise. When he heard the boy was done,
he glanced back inside. Paulo was staring at the mirror.
“Look,” he said.
“What?” Samson
said. His eyes went to the glass where he saw the words written in grease:
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange engines even death may drive.
“What’s that
mean?” Paulo said.
“I don’t know.
Let’s go.” Samson grabbed Paulo but the shirt and walked him out of the
restroom. As they went back to the car, he saw Drac standing by his own car, staring at the two of them, his gasoline-filled skull
reflecting sunlight, spreading bars of bright light in all directions so much
so that Samson thought he might have been on fire.
No such luck.
It was time to get
rolling. Samson got Paulo in the car and started his engine. The sound put him
at ease. Despite the bad memories associated with it, being on the road provided
Samson with a way out of his head, out of those terrible memories. However, he
sensed there might be more horrible things to come even if, by some chance, he
did end up winning the race.
The circumstances
reminded Samson of a dream he’d had several weeks prior. It wasn’t odd to have
strange, violent dreams after the war. Some said the nuclear fallout and
biological contaminants affected the brain in ways no one quite understood. But
the dream he had felt different than any others.
He stood under a waterfall.
Someone was with him and at first he thought it was Carol and then Jack but
then he realized it was neither. The force of the water kept him paralyzed for
what seemed like hours until something slithered up his leg and wrapped around
his waist. An intense heat filled his bowels and the person next to him
whispered in his ear.
“We’re here for
a reason. We were here from the beginning.”
The waterfall
faded away and Samson found himself standing in a parking lot surrounded by gas
pumps. The person was still next to him but every time Samson turned to look at
them, they scooted into his shadowy, peripheral vision. All at once the pumps
started to rumble and then shoot off into the air. From underneath the earth
came a deluge of yellow sludge and again Samson found himself paralyzed.
The yellow sludge
had gotten closer and closer until
more exciting. As you know, after you leave the service station you’ll be
heading into the Zone of Dead Roads. As you may not know is that the
zone is inhabited by both the Yuggs and the Zoners . I am giving another contest within the race. You
are to find the leader of the Zoners , a man named
Lord Bing Bong, and you are to kill him. His people have made it
difficult for the Yuggs and I do have a soft spot for
those ugly little things. So there it is. The first to kill Lord Bing Bong gets
a special prize. Now get ready. The race will continue in three minutes.”
Samson felt a tug
on his shirt. It was Paulo.
“What’s a Yugg ?”
“Not sure. Never
saw one but I think they’re some kind of typical post-nuke freak, a mutant.”
Paulo nodded. “I
have to go to the bathroom,” he said.
“You should’ve
gone earlier, kid. We gotta get going.”
“I’ll be quick.”
Samson put his
hand on Paulo’s back and guided him as they followed the signs to the restroom
on the side of the service station. The door was covered in yellowed newspaper
headlines all exclaiming the events leading to the nuclear holocaust of 2015.
The bathroom
consisted of one dirty sink and a dirtier toilet. Gas station bathrooms were
never clean to begin with but this one was disgusting. Its floor wasn’t visible
beneath the feces, hair, papers, and other unidentifiable debris. “Don’t touch
anything,” Samson said. “Just unzip, piss, and we’ll get out of here. Don’t
even touch the sink to wash your hands, okay?”
Paulo nodded and
walked to the toilet. While he urinated, Samson looked outside to make sure no
one was coming up to take them from surprise. When he heard the boy was done,
he glanced back inside. Paulo was staring at the mirror.
“Look,” he said.
“What?” Samson
said. His eyes went to the glass where he saw the words written in grease:
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange engines even death may drive.
“What’s that
mean?” Paulo said.
“I don’t know.
Let’s go.” Samson grabbed Paulo but the shirt and walked him out of the
restroom. As they went back to the car, he saw Drac standing by his own car, staring at the two of them, his gasoline-filled skull
reflecting sunlight, spreading bars of bright light in all directions so much
so that Samson thought he might have been on fire.
No such luck.
It was time to get
rolling. Samson got Paulo in the car and started his engine. The sound put him
at ease. Despite the bad memories associated with it, being on the road provided
Samson with a way out of his head, out of those terrible memories. However, he
sensed there might be more horrible things to come even if, by some chance, he
did end up winning the race.
The circumstances
reminded Samson of a dream he’d had several weeks prior. It wasn’t odd to have
strange, violent dreams after the war. Some said the nuclear fallout and
biological contaminants affected the brain in ways no one quite understood. But
the dream he had felt different than any others.
He stood under a waterfall.
Someone was with him and at first he thought it was Carol and then Jack but
then he realized it was neither. The force of the water kept him paralyzed for
what seemed like hours until something slithered up his leg and wrapped around
his waist. An intense heat filled his bowels and the person next to him
whispered in his ear.
“We’re here for
a reason. We were here from the beginning.”
The waterfall
faded away and Samson found himself standing in a parking lot surrounded by gas
pumps. The person was still next to him but every time Samson turned to look at
them, they scooted into his shadowy, peripheral vision. All at once the pumps
started to rumble and then shoot off into the air. From underneath the earth
came a deluge of yellow sludge and again Samson found himself paralyzed.
The yellow sludge
had gotten closer and closer until
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