the toilet, unbuckled his belt, unzipped his fly, and liberated his bladder.
A discharge of neon yellow lapped at the bowl. He heard something chilling, something odd the way his urine splashed inside the toilet. It wasn’t making any splashing sounds, no noises at all. He looked down and let out a bloodcurdling scream. He saw the most horrifying image of his life. Within the inner walls of the toilet bowl, a woman’s head stared up at him, mouth moving up and down like a rotor.
It was the head of Hanna’s mother. Her lips widened in a ghastly grin. She smiling face covered with piss. The unleashed drainage became leashed, and all the fluids trickling out of Don’s urethra shut off.
He screamed again.
“Donny boy,” it said in a rough, guttural rasp. Did you think you could kill me?
Don flushed the toilet to no avail. The water rose to the brim, spilling out, but the head never disappeared; it stayed submerged, grinning. That’s when he heard the loud report of a gunshot going off, somewhere in the building, above him. Before he passed out, he saw the headless corpse rising out of the tub behind the curtains. She was strangling him—she was…
IV
A girl on a pink bicycle with extra safety wheels skirted on the sidewalk. Tina hit a bump as her bicycle bounced up and down. She maintained her balance and breezed past the military trucks and tanks. In her basket, brown paper bags ruffled with the canned goods inside and orange juice. She pedaled up a hill then down an incline.
She turned at the corner of Westborough and Maple and got off her bike. She inched forward, pretending not to see the soldiers and police officers all congregated in one area, four feet away from the hole, assembling their A team.
It was dangerous, but she knew they would find her dog. That hole couldn’t be more than couple of feet deep. It was just an illusion that the darkness made it appear there was no end in sight. Of course, there was, and her Isis would be rescued.
As Tina pedaled her way across the street onto her block and traveled on the sidewalk, a soldier named Pino caught the child from the corner of his eyes.
“Hey! Girl!” he yelled. His partner named Slim turned his attention to Tina rolling her bike, nonchalantly. They were both part of the SWAT team, both donned in black mask and goggles and tactical gear. Tina rode faster. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”
An army unit in green camouflage clothing got off his convoy and headed toward where Tina had stopped. “Are you lost?” he asked, stooping down and inspecting the bags in the basket. “You can’t be around here. It’s not safe.”
“What’s safe to you?” Tina asked. “I’m going to my dad.”
“Your dad? Does your dad live close by?”
Tina pointed to the apartment complex that housed the supposed terrorist. Slim and Pino radioed in their suspicions. They heard there was movement behind the vertical blinds. The man, who called in to having a bomb, was pacing near the sliding glass door connected to the balcony.
“Why hasn’t he left? Will he be leaving?” the National Guard reserve named D’Shawn asked the girl. Before she could get a word out, Slim joined the questioning.
“Kid, what’s your dad’s name?” he cut in.
“Sheppard,” she said. “Can I go now?”
Slim’s eyes flicked over to Pino.
“Don’t think you can do that,” Pino said, reaching the others. His goggles were up. “We need to have a talk with your dad.”
“Why? What’d he do? I’m supposed to bring food to him. He was going to make us dinner.”
“Is there somebody else with you?” D’Shawn asked, digging through the grocery rations. He picked out an animal cracker and opened the box. “You think I can have some of this?”
“I don’t want to get in trouble, mister.”
“D’Shawn, my name’s D’Shawn,” he said. He popped a couple of rhinos into his mouth. “I’ve been here all day and I’m very hungry. Sorry about that,
A discharge of neon yellow lapped at the bowl. He heard something chilling, something odd the way his urine splashed inside the toilet. It wasn’t making any splashing sounds, no noises at all. He looked down and let out a bloodcurdling scream. He saw the most horrifying image of his life. Within the inner walls of the toilet bowl, a woman’s head stared up at him, mouth moving up and down like a rotor.
It was the head of Hanna’s mother. Her lips widened in a ghastly grin. She smiling face covered with piss. The unleashed drainage became leashed, and all the fluids trickling out of Don’s urethra shut off.
He screamed again.
“Donny boy,” it said in a rough, guttural rasp. Did you think you could kill me?
Don flushed the toilet to no avail. The water rose to the brim, spilling out, but the head never disappeared; it stayed submerged, grinning. That’s when he heard the loud report of a gunshot going off, somewhere in the building, above him. Before he passed out, he saw the headless corpse rising out of the tub behind the curtains. She was strangling him—she was…
IV
A girl on a pink bicycle with extra safety wheels skirted on the sidewalk. Tina hit a bump as her bicycle bounced up and down. She maintained her balance and breezed past the military trucks and tanks. In her basket, brown paper bags ruffled with the canned goods inside and orange juice. She pedaled up a hill then down an incline.
She turned at the corner of Westborough and Maple and got off her bike. She inched forward, pretending not to see the soldiers and police officers all congregated in one area, four feet away from the hole, assembling their A team.
It was dangerous, but she knew they would find her dog. That hole couldn’t be more than couple of feet deep. It was just an illusion that the darkness made it appear there was no end in sight. Of course, there was, and her Isis would be rescued.
As Tina pedaled her way across the street onto her block and traveled on the sidewalk, a soldier named Pino caught the child from the corner of his eyes.
“Hey! Girl!” he yelled. His partner named Slim turned his attention to Tina rolling her bike, nonchalantly. They were both part of the SWAT team, both donned in black mask and goggles and tactical gear. Tina rode faster. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”
An army unit in green camouflage clothing got off his convoy and headed toward where Tina had stopped. “Are you lost?” he asked, stooping down and inspecting the bags in the basket. “You can’t be around here. It’s not safe.”
“What’s safe to you?” Tina asked. “I’m going to my dad.”
“Your dad? Does your dad live close by?”
Tina pointed to the apartment complex that housed the supposed terrorist. Slim and Pino radioed in their suspicions. They heard there was movement behind the vertical blinds. The man, who called in to having a bomb, was pacing near the sliding glass door connected to the balcony.
“Why hasn’t he left? Will he be leaving?” the National Guard reserve named D’Shawn asked the girl. Before she could get a word out, Slim joined the questioning.
“Kid, what’s your dad’s name?” he cut in.
“Sheppard,” she said. “Can I go now?”
Slim’s eyes flicked over to Pino.
“Don’t think you can do that,” Pino said, reaching the others. His goggles were up. “We need to have a talk with your dad.”
“Why? What’d he do? I’m supposed to bring food to him. He was going to make us dinner.”
“Is there somebody else with you?” D’Shawn asked, digging through the grocery rations. He picked out an animal cracker and opened the box. “You think I can have some of this?”
“I don’t want to get in trouble, mister.”
“D’Shawn, my name’s D’Shawn,” he said. He popped a couple of rhinos into his mouth. “I’ve been here all day and I’m very hungry. Sorry about that,
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