Scent, a horror novella

Act 1:

Family Matters

Break-ups are the worst. They especially

suck when you've been living together for five

years. Maxwell Hunter is a 32-year old white male

of average build. Right now he's wearing a

System of a Down t-shirt and jeans, and driving a

mini SUV. This mini SUV is filled with boxes of

clothes, books, and whatever else Max was able to

pack within an hour. The band Mindless Self-

Indulgence is blasting on the radio as Max drives a

little over the speed limit away from his apartment.

Their apartment. Dominique's apartment. Most of

Max's thoughts are filled with various curse words

at this moment.

After about an hour of driving, Max arrives

at his destination: His mother's single-story house

in the small town of Ringgold, located in northern

Louisiana. Ringgold is the kind of place one

would give directions to another by referencing the

town's solitary red light. Max thought he had

escaped the small town life back when he moved

in with Dominique in Shreveport, the closest city,

but now he has returned, with his head hanging

low in defeat.

As he pulls up, he notices his mother

waiting for him on the old porch swing in front of

their family home. Her face seems to light up

upon seeing her son. It always does. Marsha is a

58-year old single mom, as Max's father had died

9

just a few years earlier. While not in the best of

shape, Marsha still looks great for her age and puts

a lot of pride into her appearance. She wears a

reasonable amount of make-up, and is dressed up

in a nice purple button up blouse, with matching

slacks. Max typically sums her up as a “super-

Christian lady,” but Marsha doesn't contain a

hateful bone in her body. Max's father never got

used to the idea of a gay son, but Dominique was

very welcome into Marsha's home every

Christmas.

“Hey there, big man,” Marsha says,

greeting her son with a hug. “How are you

holding up?”

“I'll let you know when I figure it out,”

Max replies. “It all happened so fast. I'm still

trying to process it.”

“Well, let's get you settled in. Then we'll

talk it out like we used to,” Marsha says, grabbing

a box out of Max's car. “Mom, you don't have to

do that. It's all my junk. I can carry it in.”

“Nonsense! We're gonna be roommates

now! Roommates help each other move, don't

they?”

After the two finish putting the boxes

inside the house, Max collapses on one of the

kitchen chairs. Marsha's house is small, but just

the right size for two parents to have raised an only

child comfortably. After hearing her son let out a

groan, Marsha asks “Were the boxes that much

trouble for you, sweetie?”

“Ha ha,” Max quips back. “I'm just

10

mentally exhausted. Dominique really let me have

it before dumping me.” Marsha grabs a package of

Oreo cookies out of one of the kitchen cabinets,

and begins pouring the two each a glass of milk.

“So, there was no warning at all? You

never told me you two were having problems.”

“That's because I didn't know there WERE

problems. I've told you before how Dom bottles

things up. I guess he had been bottling this up for

a looooong time.” Marsha sits the glasses at the

table.

“So, you really don't think you guys can

work it out?” Max takes a sip of milk.

“Thanks. And no. He made that one

thousand percent clear. Hence me coming here

with most of my earthly possessions.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that sweetie,” Marsha

says, grabbing an Oreo and dipping it in milk.

“And before you can even ask, stay here as long as

you need to. Or forever. I'm not opposed to the

company.” Max manages a smile and takes an

Oreo from the package.

“Thanks, mom.”

Max walks into his old room to start sorting

through his belongings and making himself at

home. His bedroom is almost exactly as he

remembers it. One corner of the room holds his

twin-sized bed, featuring a shirtless Hugh Jackman

as Wolverine poster right at the head of it. Next to

the bed is a nightstand with a small lamp sitting on

top of it. In another corner is a small desk with a

few high school spelling bee trophies adorning it.

11

In the center is a small closet with a dresser that

keeps the closet door from opening all the way.

The only noticeable change is the addition of a

dusty treadmill in another corner of the room.

Maxwell's nostalgia trip is cut short by the ring of

his cell phone. When he sees “Work” on the

screen, Max decides to hit the “ignore” button.

“Everything alright?” Marsha says, walking

into the open room.

“Yeah, just work calling.”

“Oh. Do you need to go?”

“I didn't answer. I think I'll let one of the

other editors handle it this time. Besides, I don't

think I'd be very productive there anyway,” Max

says.

“Good for you! I'm sure you could use a

break!” Marsha sits on the bed surveying her son's

room as Max continues to put away boxes of

clothes. “You know I loved Dominique, right?”

she asks.

“...yeah?”

“And I'm sorry, but I'm not happy with the

way he treated my son. If you want me to, I can

go knock some sense into him.” Maxwell lets out

a small chuckle. “That's OK, mom. Maybe I'm

better off? I...I really don't know. It's been so long

since I've been single. Hell, I'm dead in gay

years?”

“Gay years?” Marsha inquires. “Yeah,

once you hit thirty, you may as well be dead to

other gay guys.”

“Oh, pish-posh! So you're a little older!

12

Look, I may not agree with the lifestyle-”

“Oh, here we go,” Max thinks to himself. “-

but that doesn't stop me from wanting my son to be

happy. This will pass. You just have to let go and

let God.”

“...alright. Thanks mom.” Marsha can see

Max is clearly in no mood for her style of lifting

spirits.

“Tell you what, big man. Why don't you

and me hit the town tomorrow? Maybe hit up the

boardwalk in Bossier? Grab some Olive Garden?”

“You know, there are places that serve food

besides Olive Garden, right?”

“Hey, don't tell your mother how to live her

life!” Max finally manages a full “Ha!” Marsha

stands up and kisses her son on the forehead. “I'll

see you in the morning, sweetie. I love you.”

“Love you too, mom.” Max finishes

unpacking after about an hour. He then lies in bed,

playing around with his cell phone, checking texts

and Facebook in the off chance Dom has tried to

message him. Before long, sleep begins to take

over. Without thinking, Max slides his phone into

his pocket and quickly passes out, fully clothed.

The next morning, something pressing on

his throat wakes Maxwell up. The pressing

quickly gets tighter and tighter, making it harder to

breath. Struggling to catch his breath, Max opens

his eyes to see his mother sitting on his bed,

choking him. Panic sets in immediately, and Max

tries pushing her off, but with no luck. He looks

into his mother's eyes, which are practically red

13

with rage. She appears very determined to squeeze

the life out of her own son. With no other option,

Max grabs the lamp next to him and smacks his

mother in the face with it. The lamp doesn't break,

but the trauma is enough to knock her off of him.

He quickly leaps out of bed. “Momma, what's

going on? What did I do?” Marsha begins to right

herself on the bed, and begins screaming

“Abomination! Unclean! I know what you do! I

know what you did in this bed! You don't deserve

this life!” Tears streaming down his face, Max

tries to find the words to reason with his mother,

but she doesn't give him much time as she lunges

for him. Max quickly runs outside the room and

slams the door shut. On instinct, he grabs a small

table from the hallway and leans it against the

doorknob, making it harder to open. While he

braces the door, his mother continues shouting “I

hate you! I never should have had you! He hated

you too!”

Maxwell makes a mad dash for the kitchen,

grabbing his keys and wallet. He runs outside to

his car. As he pulls out of the driveway, Marsha

runs out of the house, wielding a kitchen knife.

Max slams on the gas petal. He begins driving,

with no destination in mind. He pulls into The

Corner Store, a local convenience store/gas station

right next to Ringgold High School, Max's Alma

mater. As Max opens his car door, the front doors

to the gas station burst open. One of the employees

barrels out of it, slamming a customer into one of

the gas pumps. “Please! Stop! What did I do?!?”

14

pleads the customer. The employee is a tall and

stocky black man, wearing a button up shirt with a

name tag that reads 'John.' Max notices the rage in

the aggressor’s eyes seem to match those of his

mother's.

“Faggot!” the employee yells, while

kicking the man laying on the ground. The one

taking the beating is a smaller sized black man,

wearing a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. A couple

of other employees, both women dressed in casual-

wear, step outside and begin to watch. The victim

tries to make a break for it, but one of the other gas

station workers cuts him off. The main aggressor

grabs the man's neck with his arm from behind and

throws him to the ground. “John” holds the man

down by the neck with his foot. One of the

employees grabs one of the gas pumps. About this

time, the victim notices Max looking on. As they

make eye contact, the victim mouths the word

“Help.” As Max quickly fumbles to dial 911 on

his cell phone, 'John' begins to pour gas on the

victim. The three drag him away from the pumps

and the other female employee pulls out a lighter.

Max looks on in horror as she lights it and drops it

onto the man without hesitation. As Max watches

the man burn, 911 answers with “We are

experiencing higher than normal call volumes at

this time. Please hang up and try again.” The

three look on at the burning body with glee. As

Max tries to call again, “John” lifts his nose in the

air, as if catching a scent. The two women seem to

notice the smell as well. The three turn and notice

15

Max for the first time.

“Oh god,” Max lets out as he quickly

cranks his car and slams his door shut. The three

start running toward the vehicle, but Max peels out

just in the nick of time.

Trying to catch his bearings while driving,

Max turns on the radio. “Another report has come

in of a savage beating, this time at a home in

Minden-” Max switches the station.

“6 people are dead at the Airline Drive

Walmart-” Max changes the station.

“We just received word of a head-on

collision between three vehicles on Youree Drive-”

Another station.

“During this time, we are advising people

to stay inside and lock their doors-wait, what are

you doing? Stop I-”

“Fag! Murder you, you queer fuck!” The

sound of a microphone repeatedly hitting the

temple of a man is sickening, but it's enough for

Max to begin piecing things together.

“They're targeting gay people?” With this,

Max now has a destination. Dominique's

apartment.

According to Max, Dom is an “African-

American god among men.” Dominique would

probably just describe himself as an average gay

man that happens to enjoy going to the gym. He

has a very fit physique, with a smoothly shaved

head to match. He's currently wearing a black

tank-top, with pajama bottoms featuring Star Wars

characters printed on them. Since yesterday, Dom

16

has been in an odd state of flux. After finally

letting Max have it, he feels a little guilty.

However, he's also feeling a strong sense of

freedom. Dominique starts his “brand new day,”

as he's been calling it, by making breakfast.

Dominique will unfortunately have no time to

process these new emotions, or his eggs, as his

new-found freedom is interrupted by a very heavy

pounding on his door.

The second Dom cracks the door open,

Max bursts inside. “Shut the door! And lock it!”

Max yells. “What the hell, Max? If this is some

kind of romantic gesture, that ship has sailed.”

“Are you OK?”

“Well, obviously you're not. Look, I know

I said some harsh things yesterday-”

“Jesus Christ, have you not turned on a

television today?”

“Why, what happ-”

“The city's gone to hell, Dom.”

Max turns on the single television in their

once-shared living room. He puts it on MSNBC

first, which shows several live shots of vicious

murders taking place in very public locations. A

man is beat to death right outside a Wendy's. A

homeless woman is repeatedly stabbed inside a

homeless shelter. Various high schools are homes

to extremely brutal massacres. “Oh god, it's worse

than I thought,” Max says. “What on earth is

going on?” Dom asks.

“These aren't isolated incidents, Dom.

They're happening here, too.” Max changes the

17

channel to KTBS, the local ABC affiliate.

After running a clip of one man shooting

up a gas station, the camera comes back to the

studio, with two empty chairs where the anchors

should be sitting. Dominique gives Maxwell a

confused look before audio starts becoming clear.

“Dyke bitch! I saw the way you looked at

her!” can be heard from a male voice yelled from

off-camera. “Please stop! Just let me leave!” Dom

and Max hear a voice plead. The camera shifts a

little as someone is pushed past it and onto the

anchor desk. The two anchors approach the

bleeding woman desperately trying to catch her

breath. With no hesitation, the female anchor

grabs the woman by the hair and pulls her head

back exposing her neck. “I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

I didn't mean anything by it! Why are you doing

this?” the woman continues to plead. The male

anchor begins punching their victim in the neck

repeatedly until her voice becomes blood.

Dominique turns off the television before they can

finish the job.

Horrified, Dom retreats to one of the chairs

in the living room. “Wha-what the hell did you just

show me? Is this some kind of joke?”

“I wish it was.”

“I don't understand. Why are people doing

this? And why aren't we affected?”

“I...have a theory about that. Put on

LOGO.”

“You do it. I don't think I can look at the

TV for a while.”

18

Max turns the television back on, and plugs

in the numbers for the LOGO channel, MTV's gay-

friendly network. Like almost every other

network, LOGO's morning news show focuses on

the violent murders taking place in broad daylight.

The two male anchors weigh in on the footage

they're watching. “Once again, we must apologize

to our viewers for the unedited footage seen here,”

one of the anchors states. “And we apologize for

the violence and language frequent in each video,

however, we feel this is important for our viewers

to see, especially the language used here.”

“That's right. With each of these vicious

murders, one common thing can be discerned from

each. Homophobic slurs.”

“It seems all of the attackers harbor some

sort of ill-will to our community. The question is,

how was this organized? We will continue to

investigate and-”

“Queers! Spouting your bile for all the

world to hear!” another man shouts from off-

camera. The camera pulls back, and a man can be

seen rushing out from behind-the-scenes toward

the two anchors. One of the camera-men tries to

push him back, but the man quickly shoves his

fingers into the camera-man's eyes. While the

camera-man reels back in pain, the man grabs him

by the neck, but before he can do anything, he's

tackled by an assistant producer. “You can't stop

me, you dyke cunt! I'll end this! You'll all die!”

The AP knocks him out and gives the man still

behind the camera a 'did you get that?' look. She

19

then motions back to the anchors. The camera

once again focuses on them.

“Is-is he alright?” one of the anchor asks

about the camera-man, bleeding from his eyes.

The other anchor notices they're still on the air and

gives his partner a nudge. “Oh! Right. That

was...unexpected. We apologize for the

interruption. That attacker was...our executive

producer. While straight, he has always been a

champion for LGBT rights and has fought

specifically for this show to air for years. I-I don't

know what to make of this.”

Max once again turns off the television.

“Do you see what's happening now?”

“They're...after gay people?”

“Looks that way.”

“But that guy was the head of their show,

why would he-”

“I don't think they have control over

themselves.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mom...”

“Oh my god, Max. She attacked you? Are

you OK?”

“I'm definitely not OK, Dom. I had to

knock my mother off of me with a lamp because

she was trying to choke me to death. I have no

fucking clue what's going on here, and I'm scared

to fucking death right now. I'm sorry I just showed

up after you made it clear you never wanted to see

me again, but I had literally nowhere else to go.

You get that, right?”

20

“Yeah, I do. Look, you can stay here as

long as you need. At least until we figure things

out.”

“You don't understand. Neither of us can

stay here. We're in an apartment complex

surrounded by straight people who all probably

want to murder us now. We need to leave. And

soon.”

“Leave? And go where?”

Before Max can answer, the two are

interrupted by another pounding on the door.

“Dominique? Maxwell? Can you both

come on out here? I'll make it quick and easy on

you!” an old lady quips from outside.

“Christ, Dom. Is that Ms. Gertrude?”

“Speaking of straight people...Just let her

be, Max. She's eighty-three. How much damage

could she do?”

Max sneakily looks through the peephole,

and turns white at the site. He quietly pushes

Dominique towards the fire escape. “Considering

she has a shotgun, a lot. Grab what you can and

let's go,” Max whispers. Dom fumbles around the

room in a panic. “Oh god. Oh god. Let's see.

Wallet. Keys. Should I pack a bag?”

“NOW DOMINIQUE!”

“Alright! Alright! Geez, give a man a

minute to get his shit togeth-”

Dominique is once again interrupted by the

loud BLAM of a shotgun tearing through his door.

Ms. Gertrude kicks open the splintered door with

zero effort and enters the room. Max grabs Dom

21

and the two tear out through the fire escape while

the elderly woman fires wildly into what was once

their apartment. “Sickos! Perverts! I always

knew! You can't hide from me! Don't try to run!”

The second they hit the ground after

leaving three flights of stairs, Dom and Max run.

“Shit! I left my keys!” Dom yells. “We'll take

mine. Come on!” As the two make their way to

Max's car, Ms. Gertrude walks out onto their fire

escape and fires off one more shot. One of the

shotgun pellets narrowly misses Dom's head as the

lady tries firing off another round. She curses

when she realizes she's out of shells and throws the

gun toward the two. It doesn't make it very far,

and collapses harmlessly at the bottom of the

stairwell.

Dom and Max get into the vehicle and

make their way for parts unknown. “So, Max,

where are we going?”

“I...honestly, have no clue.”

“What? I thought you said you had a

plan!”

“Yeah! That plan is to fucking survive!

Look, we'll try to find some place remote where

we can gather our thoughts?”

“Maybe some place on the lake?”

“You read my mind.”

As the two continue on, with a formal

destination in mind, Max drives through back

roads in Shreveport behind and between several

old, abandoned buildings. “Why not take the

interstate?”

22

“Well, Dom, according to the news,

populated areas seem to be death traps right about

now. So, I'd like to avoid that if possib-SHIT!”

As he takes a turn, Max comes bumper to

bumper with a gigantic green Hummer. With a

loud SCREECH both vehicles manage to come to a

complete stop before colliding with each other. “I

thought these back-roads weren't supposed to be

populated?”

“Not now, Dom.”

Before Max can make his next move, the

passenger door of the Hummer opens up. A

twenty-something, skinny, Asian man steps out,

with a pistol pointed right at Max. The gunman is

wearing a tight-fitting red Under Armour shirt with

a pair of jeans. The driver door opens up, and a

much older white man steps out. “Michael! What

are you doing?” the older man yells out. The older

man is wearing a nice striped button up long-

sleeved shirt with khakis, as well as a very

expensive-looking wedding ring.

“Out of the vehicle” the gunman

commands.

“Look, man, you don't have to do this,”

Max pleads.

“Yeah, I kinda do. Now step out.” Max

begins to get out of the vehicle, as does Dom.

“Michael, what is the point of this? We

need to get out of here before more people show

up!” the older man exclaims.

“Call it a hunch Sen-I mean Rich. If the

world's really gone to shit, we're gonna need all the

23

help we can get. And neither of them look like

they want to take our heads off.”

“Yes! No one wants to take anyone's heads

off! Let's leave all our heads where they are,

yeah?” Dom says. Michael points the gun at Dom,

who immediately throws his hands in the air.

“Hey, you look familiar. Weren't you at

Central a couple of nights ago?” Michael asks

Dominique exchanges a glance before

admitting “Uh, yeah. I was.”

“I thought that was you! Man, you were

tearing UP that dance floor!” Michael says,

lowering the gun. Maxwell gives Dom a

judgmental look and says “So you decided to go

clubbing a few nights before you dumped me,

huh?” Before Dominique can respond, Michael is

grabbed from behind by the neck with an old rusty

pipe. The young woman holding the pipe quips

“Sorry to interrupt your catching up, but you guys

have something I need.”

“Man, this day just keeps getting better and

better” Dom quips.

“Please! I'll give you anything you want!

Just don't hurt him!” the older man yells.

“Just your gun and your keys and we'll be

on our way.” she responds.

“Did you say 'we'?” Max asks.

“You don't worry about that. And you.

Keys. Now.” The older man hands her his car

keys. “Thanks. Now, for the gun.”

“Fuck you, bitch.”

The woman squeezes the pipe tighter.

24

“You really wanna try me today?”

“What the hell are you doing, girl?” the

group hears behind them. Up walks an elderly

black woman with a very disappointed look on her

face.

“Annette! I told you to stay hidden!”

Annette is wearing a very flowery sundress, and

has short, very well-kept hair. Her scowl makes

her age show even more than anything else about

her. “Don't Annette me! We're robbing people

now? Where's that gonna get us?”

“We have to do whatever it takes to

survive! And how do we know they're not affected

by whatever it was that caused those other people

to try to kill us?”

“Maybe because they're not trying to kill

you right now? I saw the look in those men's eyes.

I've never seen a rage that great. You know what I

see in these men's eyes? Fear. Fear from you.”

The young woman hesitates, and begins to

loosen her grip on the pipe just a little. “Wait,

we've met, right? Kira? That's you, right?”

Maxwell asks. Kira looks at Maxwell, and slowly

recognizes him.

“Oh! It's Max, right? You were the editor

at the paper that did my interview, right?”

“Can we maybe play catch-up without a

pipe crushing my neck?”

“Alright. Just...please don't do anything

stupid.” Kira throws the pipe away, and Michael

calmly walks away, with the older man running to

his aid.

25

“Oh god, I thought you were-I was so

worried!”

“I'm fine! Just get the car running. We'll

need to leave ASAP.” The older man seems a little

put-off by this, but obliges and re-enters the

Hummer.

“So, he said your name was Michael?”

Dom asks.

“Just Mike, actually.”

“So, Mike...do the two of you have some

place you were speeding off to? Or were you just

driving around aimlessly like us?”

“Actually, the old man has a nice place on

the lake. It's not completely cut off from everyone,

but it'll do until we figure out something better.”

“So, the old man. Is-is that who I think it

is?

“Yup. Kinda fucked up, right?”

While Mike and Dom plan the group's next

move, Kira and Max catch up. Max points out the

bandage wrapped around Kira's forehead, which

has a small amount of blood seeping through it.

“Pretty nasty battle scar. Is that from fighting the

good fight, or from today's free-for-all?”

“The latter. Met up with a gay-basher on

the way to my office this morning. I'd probably be

dead right now if Annette here hadn't saved my

life.”

“Maybe you can fill him in on the fine

details along the way. It looks like we're heading

out,” Annette interrupts, pointing to Dom and

Mike rallying everyone together. Mike and Rich

26

take the lead in their Hummer, with Annette and

Kira riding backseat inside Dom and Max's SUV.

With their convoy of two, the group heads to Lake

Bisteneau.

On the road, Kira's thoughts begin to run

wild. She thinks about the life she's probably

leaving behind. She's thinking about how things

went from zero-to-fucked up in just one day...

27

Kira

Kira Goodson looks like your prototypical

punk rock girl. Her typical dress includes the

word “cut-off” in some capacity, a witty t-shirt,

lots of politically-inclined buttons, and her well-

maintained blue mohawk. She can normally be

seen at various human rights events, working at the

local LGBT shelter, or talking politics online.

Other than her volunteer work, Kira LIVES

online. Quick to chime in on a Facebook thread to

tear down a “Men's Rights Activist” or two, her

online reputation earned her the name of

“Feminazi,” which she displays with pride as her

Twitter handle. What started as simply jumping

into online arguments quickly snowballed into

blog posts, videos, and finally, a permanent

position as editor-and-chief at a feminist website.

Being head of a feminist website comes

with its fair share of harassment and even death

threats. Kira takes it all in stride, and is quick to

expose anyone that thinks women should remain

silent. To make things more challenging, Kira

lives in the south, where online threats can become

very real. Having dodged several near-misses, her

online co-workers often ask Kira to relocate. She

refuses, stating that change can't happen if she runs

away from her place of birth.

Most recently, Kira's office had a major

celebration a few years back as the United States

28

congress passed a law that finally allowed for gay

marriage. The celebration was a little bitter-sweet,

as Kira became all too aware of how just alone she

was. Sure, there had been a hook-up or two here

and there, but Kira's position as “head feminist of

the internet” scared away most suitors. Her

longest relationship lasted about six months, but it

crumbled amid yet another death threat.

Even with the law passed, Kira knew

homophobia wasn't going anywhere. Locally, it

actually seemed to get worse, as the gay marriage

buzz gave bigoted bystanders a podium to stand on

and go on tirades about. Doubling her efforts, Kira

put everything into bringing the community

together. She began making more connections

than ever before. One of these connections

quickly became a source of LGBT news,

sometimes before proper media outlets were able

to break it.

Last night, Kira had a meeting with this

source at the local LGBT-friendly coffee shop.

This source was a straight woman, but worked in a

position or two that would give insight into how

the government handled their gay and lesbian

citizens. Over the meeting she told Kira that a

certain very vocally anti-gay member of the

Louisiana government was on the verge of getting

exposed in a homosexual affair. They were just

waiting on a tape.

Kira couldn't help but feel excitement. As

much as she's dealt with homophobes and death-

threats, something about closeted political leaders

29

that try to destroy their own community really gets

under her skin. After getting home, Kira did a

little channel surfing as she prepped for a video

shoot scheduled for tomorrow. She fell asleep

wondering which homophobic member of

government she'd get to soon take down.

Kira wakes up on her own, noticing her

alarm didn't go off. “Shit,” she mutters as she

checks the time. About twenty minutes late, she

hurriedly grabs a shower and gets dressed. Her

phone has about thirty notifications, but she

assumes they're all about the video shoot and

ignores them.

Pulling into the parking lot, Kira notices

several cars missing. She gets out of her car,

wondering if the shoot was canceled. As she

walks toward her office, she's stopped by a very

loud voice. “Dique!” Kira does a double take at

the Mexican man walking her way very quickly.

“I'm sorry? Can I help you?”

“Voy a matarte, dique!” the man yells out.

Kira begins to run into the office, but the man

grabs her by the arm. “VOY A MATARTE,

DIQUE!” The man punches Kira in the head,

drawing blood. Kira falls to the ground. The man

yells some more as Kira can hear a small engine

start up in the distance. The man grabs Kira by the

neck and lifts her up against the wall. He makes a

fist, but is interrupted by someone yelling “Hey

asshole!” The man looks back, and an elderly

black woman zips by on a Vespa scooter, knocking

him out with a cane. Annette gets off the scooter

30

and helps Kira back up. “Quick. Get inside before

he gets up.”

The two run into Kira's office.

Immediately, Kira notices the place is completely

vacant. “Are you alright, girl?” Annette asks.

“Yeah, he mostly just freaked me out a

little. Now, where is everyone?”

“Sweetie, you're bleeding.” Kira feels her

forehead and sees blood on her fingers.

“Well, that's great. Um...there's a first-aid

kit in the break room. Third door on the left.

Would you mind?”

“No problem. You just sit tight.” Annette

heads toward the break room as Kira enters her

office. On her computer's monitor is a post-it note

which simply reads “Had to get out. Hope you're

safe!” Kira turns her head and looks out her

window. She has a great view of the guy Annette

knocked out, who seems to be coming to. Annette

walks in with some bandages. “Hey, looks like

he's coming to.” The two watch the man as

Annette wraps up Kira's head with bandages.

The man gets to his feet. He lets out a

scream, then kicks over Annette's Vespa. He

seems to calm down for a bit, and looks a little

disoriented. This doesn't last, as his nose catches

the air. Once he catches a scent, he runs off

toward it in a rage.

“Savage. Like some kind of animal.”

Annette states.

“Yeah, I wonder what his deal is. And

more importantly, where did all my co-workers

31

go?”

“Think it had anything to do with him?”

“I dunno. Let me check my e-mail here

and see what all the fuss is about.” Annette notices

the television sitting on the side of the office.

“Would you mind?”

“Go ahead.” Kira answers. Between the

television news and Kira's internet feed, the two

quickly understand what's going on around them.

“Jesus Christ. So we're being targeted.” Kira looks

at Annette.

“Wait. Does this mean you're-”

“Well, I guess so. I...haven't really thought

about it in years, but I guess I'm 'out' now.”

“You know, in all of this I didn't catch your

name.”

“I'm Annette. Annette St. Croix.”

“Nice to meet you, Annette. I'm Kira.

Thanks for saving my life.”

“You're very welcome, sweetie...but what

do we do now?”

“Find a safe place to hide out, I suppose.”

The two cautiously exit the building. Annette

attempts to pick her Vespa, but Kira stops her.

“Come on. We'll take my car.” Before

they can take another step, they are pushed back by

a gunshot at their feet. An older, well dressed man

walks away from the antique shop firing wildly.

“WelpVespa it is.” Kira props up the

scooter and starts its engine. She yells “Come

on!” at Annette who stands there with a look of

betrayal on her face. Annette sits behind Kira as

32

she peels out onto the street.

“That man. He was my friend! I-”

“Was he straight?” Kira asks. “Yes, I think

so.”

“Than he's the enemy now.”

The two travel around the abandoned

buildings in the downtown before the scooter

begins to die. “What the hell?” Kira asks. “I'm so

sorry! It's been acting up for weeks, but I don't

travel very far, so I haven't worried about it!”

“Shit!” Kira swears. “We're too open out

here. We have to find another vehicle or

something or we're screwed.”

“I can walk a little ways, but my hip-” The

two are interrupted by a very loud “SCREECH!”

Sneaking behind one of the buildings, the two

notice the exchange between Mike, Rich, Max, and

Dom. “OK, this might work” Kira says. She

grabs a nearby pipe, covered in rust.

“What are you going to do?” asks Annette.

“I'm gonna get us a ride.”

33

Gossip

As they make their way to Lake Bisteneau,

the four in Max's SUV decide to get to know one

another better, and of course, dish dirt on the man

driving the Hummer in front of them. Max quietly

listens as Dom and Kira talk trash. Dom starts

with “So, you know that old white guy driving is

our state senator, right?”

“Oh my god, I knew it!” Kira exclaims.

“Ew, does that mean Mike is his mistress?”

“I know, right? Did you see how he kept

doting on him. Poor Mike.”

“Hey, you gotta pay the bills somehow,

right? Yeesh, what about that wife and kid he has

though?”

“They have to know, right? You can't just

hide something like that in a position of

power...can you?”

“You'd be surprised what you can get away

with.”

Having heard enough, Max decides to

chime in. “You guys DO realize the only reason

we know this about that senator is because

everyone's lives got turned upside down, right?

That wife and kid you mentioned? You don't think

maybe it's possible he's here with his 'mistress'

instead of them is because they very recently tried

to kill him?” The group becomes very quiet after

this, and remains so until they reach the cabin on

34

the lake.

All remains quiet in the Hummer as well,

as Rich finally takes a little time to reflect on how

he got into this situation.

35

36

Richard

Senator Richard O'Donnell ran on a

platform of “Bringing Morality Back to the US.”

When congress finally allowed gay marriage to

pass, O'Donnell was the strongest opponent.

However, Richard had struggled with his own

homosexuality for years. Raised Southern Baptist,

Rich voluntarily underwent “pray away the gay”

treatment on more then one occasion during his

teen years. In reality, this was the easiest way for

him to hook up with a certain crush once every

year or two. When this crush decided to come out

themselves, Rich decided to move on to his true

calling, politics. He knew that public opinion was

changing on homosexuals, and he would never be

“cured” if that happened.

The good senator would be described by

most of his political companions as a “good, godly

man.” However, old habits died hard, as Rich

turned to male prostitutes in his later years. This

habit proved harder and harder to break, even after

getting married and raising a son for twelve years.

Richard did love his family, but he couldn't keep

up the charade forever. As the prostitutes became

less and less “classy,” it almost seemed like Rich

WANTED to get caught. Then there was Michael.

There was something special about

Michael. Yes, he turned tricks, but Michael was

smart. Rich and Mike would have long

conversations most nights about life, and how it

37

can seem like you're on the right path, even when

everything about you tells you you're not. Richard

didn't know quite how to handle Michael. Their

trysts were becoming something a little more.

After years of acting on pure lust, Rich was

starting to wonder if this is what true infatuation

felt like.

An entire week would go by without his

family seeing Richard. When his wife would

question him about it, Rich would simply lie and

say it was due to work. In reality, it was about

Michael. It was all about Michael now.

As they lie in bed together, Mike asks “So,

what would you do if it all fell apart?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if someone outed you?”

“Oh. I-I don't know. I try not to think

about it too much. Well, I definitely wouldn't have

a career anymore. And I'd probably never see my

wife and son again.”

“Senator, you don't see them now. You're

always here. With me.”

“I've told you not to call me that. And well,

I guess I'd be stuck here with you, wouldn't I?

That probably wouldn't be so bad, would it?”

Richard says with a smile. “If you say so,

Senator.” Mike quips, before slinking underneath

the sheets. “Hey, what did I just say abou-” Mike

cuts Rich off as he does that one thing with his

tongue the senator just LOVES.

Early morning comes, and Rich knows it's

time to do the “drive of shame” back home. He

38

attempts to kiss Mike goodbye, but Mike turns his

head and points to his cheek. Rich gives him a

peck on the cheek, then drives off. He pulls into

his driveway and greets the lone security guard at

the door. “Just one of you today?”

“The other guy's in the house. Had to run

to the bathroom.”

“I hope he doesn't destroy my toilet like the

last one.”

“Ha ha, have a nice day, sir.” The guard

opens the front door for the senator and he walks

into his home. While some government officials

have very large estates, Rich's wife Olivia wanted

something simple. Their home only has one story,

with two master bedrooms and a small guest room.

Rich walks into the kitchen and grabs an apple off

of the counter. He knows Olivia will give him

grief about being out so late before he passes out,

he decides to delay the inevitable. He turns on the

small television inside the kitchen and starts

channel surfing with the volume very low. He

can't make out what the anchors are saying, but a

“this just in” report starts with live footage of a fire

getting put out in a small community. As the fire

fighters all handle their individual jobs, they all

stop what they're doing one-by-one as they all

seem to catch the scent of something. They all

turn and look in one direction. The camera-man

points his camera into the distance and focuses in

on a onlooker in the crowd. The firemen run past

the camera towards the man and begin beating

him. The camera quickly gives pursuit and starts

39

getting used as a ram on the victim. “Jesus,” Rich

mutters to himself before he hears a door open and

close behind him. He then hears his son

screaming.

Richard dashes down the hall and fumbles

to open his son's bedroom door. When he opens it,

he finds his wife standing over the eviscerated

body of their son, with his blood all over her face,

hands, and body. It looks like she's trying to

process what just happened, as she slowly looks up

at her husband. “R-Rich?” she asks, before her

nose catches his scent. She lets out a blood-

curdling scream and rushes toward the senator.

“You! You made this! You disgusting pervert!

You put this inside of me!” Richard quickly slams

the door on her face and runs back outside, past the

guard.

“Sir? Is everything alri-” With a “BLAM!

BLAM! BLAM!” the guard is interrupted by the

other guard approaching from behind and firing

several rounds point-blank into his back. Richard

gets inside his car and drives off.

Running on instinct, Rich pulls up to

Mike's place and starts pounding on his door. A

groggy-Mike answers the door. “Well, hello,

senator. Back for more, already?” Without

skipping a beat, Richard wraps his arms around

Michael.

“Oh, thank God.” Richard whimpers.

“Whoa, whoa. What's going on?” Mike

says, pushing Richard to where he can see his face.

“My wife. She...”

40

“OK OK Sit tight a minute. Let me clean

up in there a second. Then we'll talk.” The second

Mike walks back inside, Richard starts crying

uncontrollably. After a few minutes, Mike opens

the door again. “Geez, Senator. Just look at you.

Let's get you inside.”

The two sit in silence for a few moments as

Richard collects himself. “She killed him. She

killed our son.”

“What? Your wife? You're saying your

wife killed your son?”

“Then she tried to kill me.”

“Why on earth would she do that, Richard?

You've been up for hours now. Are you sure you

weren't just seeing things?”

“I know what I saw! And...God help me. I

think she did it because of me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she found out about us! Someone

must have told her or something! Oh god, the way

she was talking about me, about our son.”

“OK, let's say she did find out. Did she say

how?”

“No, she was just...enraged. Like she had

just realized it...in that moment.” Richard

remembers what he saw on television right before

his son's murder. “Can you turn on the TV?”

“Uh...sure.” Michael hesitantly turns on

the television. The two watch in horror as they see

the same grizzly murders repeated in different

locations on different channels. They also catch

the attack on the LOGO studio by the MTV

41

president. “Well, this changes things” Michael

mutters to himself. Rich doesn't notice, as several

thoughts start rushing through his head, the chief

of which is “My son was gay? How...how did I

not know? Oh god, I damned him.” Rich starts

crying hysterically, while Michael tries to calm

him down.

“Look, your son was twelve, right? How

could you know?”

“It's not just that, Michael. Good lord, all

the mistakes I've made. I was wrong. About

everything. So, so wrong.”

“Hey, nobody's perfect. I'm sorry about

your family, Rich, but you have to look forward

now.”

“You're right. We're-we're not safe.

Especially here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have to come with me, Michael. I-I

have a place on Lake Bisteneau. It's not

completely closed off from the public, but it's

remote enough for us to stay and plan our next

move.”

“You want me? To come with you? Once

this all blows over, won't that hurt your image?”

“I don't think this will blow over. You're all

I have left, Michael. Let me keep you safe.”

“Well, alright then.” Michael walks over to

his nightstand and pulls a gun out of it, making

sure it's loaded. “Let's do this.” The two make

their way out in Rich's Hummer, taking smaller

roads behind abandoned buildings downtown, until

42

they almost have a head-on collision with a much

smaller SUV.

43

Cabin By The Lake

Having finally reached Lake Bisteneau, the

group each get out of their respective vehicles.

Kira makes a beeline towards Rich. “So,

senator...” she starts. “Hell of a way to come out,

right?” she says, while patting him on the back.

The senator responds with a simple “Yes. I

suppose it was” and cracks a smile as she walks

by, heading into his cabin. The rest of the group

breaths a sigh of relief.

The cabin is very nice, as it has more than

enough room for a family of three. There are four

bedrooms total, with two bathrooms and a fully

stocked kitchen. There is also a speedboat hooked

up to a pier at the end of the house. Annette

quietly starts taking things out of the kitchen

storage and begins prepping a meal. Michael

walks around the house, checking for any other

people. Dom, Rich, Max, and Kira all collapse

into various chairs in the living room area. Almost

on instinct, Dom grabs the television remote and

almost turns on the TV, but decides against it. “So,

hell of a day, right?” Kira asks.

“Hell of a day,” Max answers “hey Senator,

you have any beer in here?”

“I saw a few in the fridge.” Annette

answers. Max makes his way to the kitchen. Left

with the still shell-shocked senator, Kira and Dom

enjoy an awkward silence. Surprisingly, Richard

is the one to break the tension.

44

“I haven't given myself any real time to

process it until now. Is this what survival instinct

is?”

“It's got me this far,” Mike says, entering

the house. “How you getting along, Senator?”

“I walked in on my wife tearing out my

sons guts. I have no idea how the hell I'm getting

along.” The room gets very silent, before Richard

stands up and walks into the kitchen. “Any of

those beers left?” he asks. Max complies, and

hands him one out of the refrigerator. Annette

makes the announcement “Dinner's ready.” The

group gathers at the kitchen counter and Annette

hands them each a plate of spaghetti.

“Ugh. I don't know if I can eat.” Rich

states.

“Hey, it's here if you want it. You should

keep up your strength though,” Annette replies.

“Thanks...I'm sorry. I don't think I got your

name.” The group takes the time to make formal

introductions. “Alright, we should probably talk

about sleeping arrangements. There's four

bedrooms, but I think it would be a lot safer if we

slept in pairs,” Mike says.

Dom and Max exchange an awkward look.

Kira puts her arm around Annette. “Alright bunk-

mate, let's get that pillow fort going.” Annette

chuckles as the two enter their bedroom. Michael

puts his hand on Rich's shoulder .

“Come on, Senator. You definitely need

sleep.” Looking a little dead-eyed, Richard

responds with a “Hm? Oh, yeah. I guess you're

45

right.” The two retire, leaving Dom and Max

alone.

“Look, I understand if you want to take the

other bedroom,” Max says.

“No, he's right. If there are any surprises, it

would probably be better for us to be together.

Just...try not to make it weird?”

As the two get their bed ready, Kira chats

up Annette. “So...I didn't want to bring this up

with all the boys around, but you weren't out

before this, right?”

“I guess if that's what you want to call it.

No...No, I wasn't.”

“I can't even imagine that. I'm so sorry!

This isn't asking too much is it?”

“You can ask me anything you want, dear.

I've got nothing to hide.”

“Well, I noticed you were quick to help me,

and join this ragtag group, but you don't seem to be

worried about anyone back home.”

“Just me and a stray dog or too back home,

dear.”

“No family or anything? Friends?

“Just me.”

“Sorry to hear that. So, you never? With

another girl?”

“Just one,” Annette mutters to herself.

“What was that?” Kira asks.

“I'm sorry, dear. It's been a long day, and

I'm very tired. Would you mind if I laid down?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Kira walks out of the room, leaving

46

Annette alone with her thoughts.

47

Annette

Annette St. Croix has lived in Shreveport

her entire life. Her life is pretty routine, which

mostly consists of staring at the television for a

few hours, checking out a book from the local

library, or chatting up the nice old man that works

inside the local antique shop. Annette is in her

sixties, but thanks to several healthy lifestyle

choices over the years, doesn't look a day over

fifty.

Annette grew up in a time fresh off the

Civil Rights movement. She never had to know

what it was like going to a segregated school, and

her mother was very quick to remind her of this.

Her mother was very quick to remind her of a lot

of things. Annette's mother was very strict with

her daughter, partly because she was a single-

mother, and partly because she didn't want Annette

dealing with the copious amounts of racism she

had to endure.

While Annette did have it much easier than

her mother, she definitely heard the word “nigger”

on at least a daily basis. The first time the word

was hurled her way, Annette made the lips that

spake it immediately regret it. Her mother didn't

have a habit of beating her child, but when Annette

would get sent home from school, she would

definitely make an exception.

Annette never put too much thought into a

relationship. She didn't have much family outside

48

her mother, and her mother kept the two pretty

isolated from everyone in the community. Annette

didn't have trouble making friends, but her mother

kept her from bringing anyone home. There were

a couple of guys that hit on her, but Annette had a

lot of trouble returning the affection.

Then there was Veronica. Veronica had

perfect blonde hair with matching blue eyes. Yes,

Annette had felt attraction for other females before

meeting her, but Veronica was the first female that

seemed to return the attraction. In fact, Veronica

was the first to approach Annette. The two already

received strange looks because of racial social

barriers, so their courtship was very awkward at

first. Annette resisted at first, but “Ron,” as she

liked to be called, was more than charismatic.

The pair would meet behind the bleachers

for some casual making out. Making out gave way

to heavy petting. Heavy petting gave way to

Annette learning the taste of a woman for the first

time. This taste would give way to a sensation

Annette could only describe as “Heaven between

my legs.” While the two got closer, Ron would

begin to tear down Annette's guard and have her

break out of her shell a bit. They pulled pranks on

assholes that they knew casually used the “n-

word.” They drank scotch Veronica swiped from

her dad's liquor cabinet. They had sex. So much

wonderful sex.

Their story did not have a happy end, as the

two were discovered under the bleachers one day

by a fellow student. Annette received several

49

severe tongue lashings from teachers and her

principle. The worst was the actual lashing she

received from her mother. While her mother beat

her, she questioned her daughter. “Where did you

learn this? I didn't raise you this way! Why would

you do this to me? I told you! We don't rock the

boat! Keep your goddamned head down and don't

make waves!”

This ended it. Annette kept her head down

for the rest of high school. Veronica's parents

moved her to a completely different state. The two

never saw each other again. After her mother

passed away, Annette got a job at the same local

grocery store as her. She has worked there well

into her eighties. It has always been enough to get

by, but only just.

Annette never made waves again. Always

kept her head down. Answered every question

with a “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma'am.” No wasn't a

very large part of her vocabulary. There were a

few things she enjoyed in life. TV Land. Little

Debbie snacks. Her Vespa. The conversations she

had with Jake, the nice man at the antique shop.

She especially cherished these talks, mostly

because Jake was so non-threatening.

During one of these trips, Annette was

stopped just outside the antique shop's entrance, by

the sound of someone yelling. When she looked

down the street she could see a Mexican man

beating up a little white girl. Annette knew this

wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help

herself anymore. Annette decided to make some

50

waves.

51

Discovered

Kira walks outside to find Mike taking

watch. “Oh, hey,” she says with surprise.

“Is something wrong?” Mike asks. Kira

slyly pulls out a pack of cigarettes. “Better enjoy

those while you can. Might be a while before any

of us are welcome inside a convenience store

again,” Mike says.

“Oh shit, you're right. Want one?”

“Don't smoke.”

“You sure?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, it's like you said. These may be the

last cigarettes ever. Don't you want to try that

nicotine rush, just one time?”

“What are you, the Marlboro Man? Lady,

I'm a little more worried about our food supply.”

“Oh shit, you're right. We'll need to find

more at some point, won't we?”

“Yeah, and it's not like we're going to be

able to stay here forever either. I think the old man

has a place down south. More remote.

Completely off the grid.”

“The senator has ANOTHER summer

home? God, I hate him.” Kira catches herself and

gives Mike an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“Hey, I'm not his biggest fan, either. I

knew who I was fucking that whole time. But, the

guy's been through a lot. Same as the rest of us. I

figure that cuts him a little slack, yeah?”

52

“Yeah. Look, you should get some rest. I'll

keep watch for awhile.”

“No, you go see how Annette's doing. I

don't think I could sleep now if I tried.”

“Well, if you're sure...” Kira begins walking

back inside.

“Kira?”

“Yeah, Mike?”

“I think I will have that cigarette.” Kira

smiles and hands him a cigarette. She then pulls

out a Bic lighter and lights it for him before

heading back inside. It seems as though everyone

has gone to bed, but almost everyone has trouble

sleeping. Max breaks his promise by trying to

cuddle up with Dom, who groggily pushes him

away. Pouting, Max rolls over and curls up on his

own side of the bed. In another room, Rich drifts

off, but recent trauma keeps popping up and he

cannot completely fall asleep. When Kira checks

on Annette, she finds her fast asleep. Kira pulls up

the blanket and collapses next to her.

The next morning, Annette wakes, to find

Kira's arm wrapped around her. The old lady

smiles, and proceeds to get out of the bed. A

knock on the door wakes Kira up as well. When

Annette opens the door, she finds Mike with a very

worried look. “We've got to go. Now.”

Outside, several police lights can be seen in

the distance through the living room window. “It

looks like they're going cabin to cabin,” Mike says.

“What do you think they want?” Dom asks.

“To arrest us?” Kira asks.

53

“Or to eliminate the stragglers.” Max

states. Mike gives a nod in agreement.

“So do we leave?” Rich asks.

“The only way out is through the road

they're on,” Max says.

“Well, there is one way out. Senator, do

you have your boat keys?” asks Mike.

The group hurriedly gathers up supplies

and gets on the boat. After stalling a couple of

times, Rich is able to get it up and running. With

this, the group safely makes it to the other side of

the lake with no trouble. When the police arrive at

their cabin, about six squad cars pull up with two

SUVs. Stepping outside of one these vehicles is

Olivia, Rich's wife.

Mike decides the best thing to do would be

to pull up to an uninhabited cabin. After that, the

group will go cabin-to-cabin looking for a vehicle

to steal. He elects himself, Max, and Kira to

attempt this, while Annette, Rich, and Dom stay

with the boat. “So, we're just not gonna talk about

how we're suddenly OK with stealing someone

else's car?” Kira asks. “Would you rather we let

Annette walk? Besides, I'm sure the owner of the

vehicle we steal is going to try to immediately

murder us anyway,” Mike replies. “You make

some valid points, sir. Grand theft auto it is.” Kira

relents.

The three sneak past a few busy looking

cabins, staying down-wind just in case someone

decides to step outside. Finally, they arrive at a

cabin with all the lights off, and a mini-van parked

54

in front of it. “I think we hit the jackpot. Might be

a bit cramped, but I think we'll all fit in there.”

Mike says.

“Alright genius, but how do we actually get

inside the thing? I doubt they left the key in the

ignition for us,” Max quips.

“Look, if we have to, we'll break into the

cabin and steal their keys,” Mike responds. “And

when they try to murder us the second we break

in?” Kira asks. “I'll subdue them,” Mike snaps

back, while making a gun-butting motion with his

pistol.

“We're gonna die out here,” Max

complains.

The three sneak up to the side of the cabin,

with Mike breaking off to check the vehicle.

“Locked,” Mike mouths to the others. Mike

rejoins them as they hug the area next to the front

door. Mike readies the pistol and gets ready to

kick open the door. “OK, if we hear ANYONE

inside, we'll bum-rush them, alright?” he whispers

to the other two. They both nod and get ready.

“Alright. Moment of truth. One. Two. THREE!”

With this, he kicks open the door, and runs inside,

wielding the pistol. Mike quickly looks around

and notices the cabin is completely empty of

people. He notices a set of keys sitting near the

door. “It cannot be this easy,” he mutters to

himself before grabbing the keys. He walks back

outside and hands the keys to Max. “Well, that

was easy,” says Kira.

As the two approach the vehicle, they hear

55

someone shout “HEY!” and turn around to see a

shirtless guy in shorts holding a few fish walking

back up to the cabin. “Get away from my car!” he

shouts as he dashes toward them. “Everyone get

in, now!” Mike shouts.

“Wait, what if he's one of us?” Kira asks.

As the man gets closer, the wind turns and he

catches their scent, sending him into a rage. He

takes the fish off of one of the hooks and runs at

the group, but is knocked to the ground when Mike

shoots him in the shoulder.

“We should be driving now!” Mike yells, as

he pushes the other two toward the vehicle.

“What the hell was that?” Max yells as he

cranks the mini-van.

“Motherfucker, I'm not taking any chances.

It's us or them now,” Mike snaps back. As they

pull out of the driveway, the man gets up and, with

no regard to his gunshot wound, begins to give

chase. Even enraged, the man is no match for the

vehicle's speed, and the trio quickly lose him.

They gather up the rest of their group and hit the

road once more.

56

Mike

Mike Nguyen grew up poor. Dirt poor.

What little money his parents made would quickly

turn into meth. Mike learned how to survive at a

very young age. Surviving mostly meant stealing

what you could to get by. His dad managed to

teach him how to remove a car stereo without

damaging it at the age of five. Everything else,

Mike learned as he went along. When he turned

13, he learned that he could use his body to get

money from rich, old white men. Powerful, old

white men.

Times were good for Mike. He didn't have

to steal as much anymore, as turning tricks became

all-too lucrative. He never went down the path of

drugs that took both of his parents, so he was able

to save up for his own apartment in the seedier side

of Shreveport. He offered a valuable service to

closeted men and thanks to various hook-up apps,

business was very good.

Mike never apologized for who he was.

Everyone at the local bars knew he was an escort,

but Mike didn't care. He was getting paid. He was

surviving.

His newest client was Richard O'Donnell,

Louisiana state senator. Mike knew who he was

upon their first meeting, but didn't follow politics

very well. Still, he would refer to him as

“Senator” during every rendezvous, no matter how

many times Richard begged him not to. Richard is

57

obviously infatuated with Mike, and while Mike

doesn't feel the same way, he knows exactly what

buttons to press to continue stringing the senator

along.

While hanging at Central Station, one of

Shreveport's most well-known gay clubs, Mike is

approached by a man he has never seen before. He

assumes the man is a potential client when the

mystery man leans in and yells “Can we talk

outside?” over the club's music. When he walks

outside, the man introduces himself as a private

investigator. “Yeah, sorry, you're going to have to

speak to my lawyer.”

“I'm not here about your source of

income.”

“Are you sure about that? Most guys are.”

“I'm here about one of your clients.”

“Sorry, I have a strict confidentiality

agreement between doctor and patient. You

understand, right?” The man pulls out a picture of

Rich and Mike outside of Mike's apartment. “How

did you get this?”

“I'm a professional. Now, are you aware of

who this man is?” Mike rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, some big-shot senator. He wouldn't

be the first I've slept with.”

“No, but he would be the first you've slept

with that's actively trying to overturn gay

marriage.”

“You're kidding, right? Who'd be dumb

enough to-”

“Richard O'Donnell would be dumb

58

enough, apparently.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“So, what do you want from me?”

“We have these pictures, but there's no

solid proof there. We need something a little

more...concrete.”

“You want me to record us fucking?”

“You catch on quick.”

“Sorry, buddy. I may be an escort, but I'm

no snitch.”

“What if I could make it worth your

while?”

“Hey man, I just do what I need to get by.

I'm not about to ruin some guy's life just because

he happens to be a hypocrite.”

“I work for several parties that would pay

for a video. All of them have very deep pockets.

You can do more than just get by, Michael. You

can do more than just survive.”

“My name is Mike. And I'm listening.”

The man hands Mike an envelope, which Mike

opens. Mike inspects the instructions and note

within. “That's a lot of zeroes,” Mike says.

“Like I said. Very deep pockets,” the man

replies.

Mike begins wiring up hidden cameras

around his apartment. After a few hours of work,

everything is in place. Mike hits “record” once he

hears a knock on his door. It's Richard.

Sex with Richard is a lot less awkward now

that Mike has taught him a thing or two. At first,

59

Richard would let Mike do all the work, and Mike

could tell that most of his sexual adventures with

other men were mostly with other escorts. Richard

would try to sneak in a kiss on the mouth, but

Mike was always quick to turn that into foreplay.

The senator has come a long way, as now he's even

able to make Mike climax.

As they lie in bed together, Mike asks “So,

what would you do if it all fell apart?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if someone outed you?”

“Oh. I-I don't know. I try not to think

about it too much. Well, I definitely wouldn't have

a career anymore. And I'd probably never see my

wife and son again.”

“Senator, you don't see them now. You're

always here. With me.”

“I've told you not to call me that. And well,

I guess I'd be stuck here with you, wouldn't I?

That probably wouldn't be so bad, would it?”

Richard says with a smile.

“If you say so, Senator.” Mike quips,

before slinking underneath the sheets. “Hey, what

did I just say abou-” Mike cuts Rich off as he does

that one thing with his tongue the senator just

LOVES.

Early morning comes, and Rich knows it's

time to do the “drive of shame” back home. He

attempts to kiss Mike goodbye, but Mike turns his

head and points to his cheek. Rich gives him a

peck on the cheek, then drives off. After his

vehicle is out of site, Mike dashes back inside and

60

checks the recording. “Cha-ching!” Mike says to

himself as he sees how clear the video came out.

Mike begins uploading the video to the website the

private investigator handed him and passes out.

After a few hours pass, Mike is abruptly

awoke by a loud pounding on his door. A groggy-

Mike answers the door. “Well, hello, senator.

Back for more, already?” Without skipping a beat,

Richard wraps his arms around Michael.

“Oh, thank God.” Richard whimpers.

“Whoa, whoa. What's going on?” Mike

says, pushing Richard to where he can see his face.

“My wife. She...”

“OK OK Sit tight a minute. Let me clean

up in there a second. Then we'll talk.” Mike rushes

back inside. “Oh crap, oh crap. Let's see,” he

mutters as he fumbles around. He turns on the

computer's monitor. Only 75% uploaded.

“Fucking Comcast,” he says as he turns the

monitor back off. “OK, there's nothing damning in

here. I'll just have to get rid of him before it

finishes uploading.” Mike walks back outside and

sees Richard sobbing to himself. “Geez, Senator.

Just look at you. Let's get you inside.”

61

The Big Bad

Driving down the road, the group tries to

plan their next move. “So, where do we go now?”

asks Annette.

“What about that other lake-house you

mentioned, Richard?” Mike asks.

“Well, it's on the ocean, actually. Where

my yacht is parked,” Rich answers. Kira almost

says something about this, but stops herself.

“You have a yacht?” Dom asks.

“Um, yes.” says Richard.

“Would it be able to cross the ocean?”

“What are you getting at, Dom?” Max asks.

“Well, what if whatever has caused all this

madness is only contained to the United States?”

“We don't even know what this is, much

less how far its spread,” Max argues.

“Why don't we look into that?” Kira chimes

in, before pulling out her cell phone.

“Holy crap, I am so dumb. With all the

excitement, I didn't even think to check world

news,” Max says. Kira goes to the BBC's web

page, and notices a large headline stating

“INFECTION CONTINUES TO RAVAGE THE

STATES.”

“Holy shit.” Kira mumbles.

“What is it?” Mike asks.

“I think Dom may have been right.

According to this, the 'infection' hasn't left US

shores.”

62

“That's great! So, we just have to get to

Rich's yacht and set sail to jolly ol' England,

right?” Max says.

“Hang on, there's something else here,”

Kira says, opening a link on the page. The link

takes her to a video which has the headline “US

TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT.”

In the video, there is a podium with the

presidential seal on it. The president of the United

States approaches the podium and begins making a

speech. “Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President,

Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: We

have had a sickness hiding inside of us for eons

now. One that has gone uncontrolled until just

yesterday. I am, of course, referring to the disease

of homosexuality that has plagued mankind for far

too long now. Now, one brave scientist saw fit to

not only bring this disease to light, but also

provide us the tools with which to destroy it. He

can explain this process far better than I can, so

without further delay, it is my pleasure to introduce

to you Professor Elroy Garland.”

The room bursts into applause as Professor

Garland approaches the podium. Garland is

dressed in a very modest lab coat, with a sweater

vest and tie on underneath. His hair is slicked

back and he wears black, thick-rimmed glasses.

Wiping tears from his eyes, he begins to speak.

“Thank you, Mr. President. Wow. Just wow. I

never thought this day would come. Words cannot

express how excited I am to be here. To face you

all as your eyes have finally opened up to the main

63

threat of our existence, the homosexuals. After

years of study, science was finally able to isolate

the gene that causes homosexuality, but most

scientists stopped short. There was much more

work to be done, but I alone was able to create

what others were too afraid to attempt, a cure.

Now, as with most cures, you simply have to get

your own antibodies strong enough to weed and

destroy the infection. That's what I have done for

you. You now all have the gift to detect any

homosexual in a short radius. To 'sniff them out,'

if you prefer.” The crowd cheers.

“And that's not all!” the president interjects.

“We're working with various organizations to wipe

out all existence of homosexuality! I'm talking

television networks! I'm talking Facebook! I'm

talking libraries!” The crowd cheers at this as

well.

Kira stops the video. “Holy fuck.

Everyone's drank the Kool-Aid.”

“More than enough reason to get the hell

out of the country than, right?” Max asks.

“Maybe not just yet.” Dom objects. “What

do you mean?” Max asks.

“That asshole scientist created this

infection, right? What if he has the cure, as well?”

“That would be great, if we could get close

to him, but the guy's in Washington. There's no

way we'd be able to get to him before getting

brutally murdered along the way.”

“There might be a chance.” Dom says,

showing off his phone with a local headline

64

“NATIONAL HERO SET TO ARRIVE.”

“The motherfucker's going to land at

Barksdale Air Force Base. About half an hour

from here.”

65

Act 2: Weird Science

On the way to Barksdale, Mike fiddles with

his phone. “Huh. That's weird,” he says.

“What is it, Michael?” Rich asks.

“Are any of you guys getting a signal?

Mine just dropped.”

“I've got full bars over here,” Kira states.

“Same here,” says Annette, who pulls out

an older-model flip-phone.

“Uh...you don't think-” Dom starts before

Kira answers “Shit! I've been locked out of my

bank account!”

“Oh god, it's started. They're erasing us,”

Richard frets. “What do we do? We can't exactly

hand cash to a cashier any more. And we'll

probably need gas soon.”

“Annette! You never came out to anyone

before me, right?” Kira asks.

“Well, not to anyone that's still alive,”

Annette responds.

“That's perfect!” Kira exclaims before she

realizes her phrasing. “Uh, sorry. I just meant that

you're off the grid. So, Annette should be safe

from the digital purge, right?”

“Hm, ideally, yes. If we could all transfer

our funds to Annette's banking account, our money

should be safe. But, we also run the risk of them

noticing the transfer and wiping hers as well.

Annette, you make the call.” Rich states.

Annette pulls a check book out of her

66

purse. “Here's my account number. Do what you

need to.” Richard logs into his bank account and

puts in Annette's information to transfer funds to.

Each member of the group does the same.

As Max is driving, he pulls out his phone

and hands it to Rich. “Here, use mine as well.

Dom can put in the password if he needs to.”

As the transfers go through, Annette gets

several notification texts on her phone letting her

know deposits have been made into her account.

“Congratulations, Annette,” Richard says “you're

now the third richest person in Louisiana.

“Uh, guys?” Dom interrupts. He shows the

group a video of a local press conference with a

Louisiana seal on the podium.

“Isn't that your wife?” asks Kira. Sure

enough, Olivia is addressing the crowd.

“Fellow citizens of Louisiana. We are

living in troubled times, but it's always darkest just

before the dawn. Homosexuals have hidden in our

towns and our cities for far too long. They have

even hidden in places of power, such as my former

husband Richard O'Donnell. Here, we have

footage of him engaging in disgusting sodomy acts

with a known prostitute.” The video plays a

censored version of what Mike recorded with Rich.

She continues “I can never forgive this man for

what he did, or forgive him for infecting me with

his spawn, but today is a day of new beginnings.

Just this morning, congress has signed me in as

your new state senator! I look forward to serving

you. And in just a few hours, it will be my honor

67

to greet our beloved national hero Professor Elroy

Garland!” The crowd in the video begins cheering

as Dom turns off the video.

Mike is staring out the window. Richard

looks over at him. “You-you recorded us together?

Why would you do that?”

“You weren't supposed to find out like

this.”

“How was I supposed to find out,

Michael?”

“Look man, my name isn't Michael. It's

Mike, OK? My parents named me 'Mike.' Just

'Mike.' Did you really think I cared about you?”

“No. I didn't. But you made it fun to

pretend.”

“Hey, I'm sorry all this craziness happened.

That video was supposed to set me up for life. It's

completely worthless to me now. I didn't want to

hurt you, Rich, but I had to look out for myself,

you know?”

“You're right. I wasn't careful enough. I'm

sure a video would have come out sooner or later.

I just-”

“You just what, senator?”

“I'm sorry. To all of you. I've been a

selfish bastard all these years. Denying rights to

my own people. Sneaking around. Lying to my

wife. To-to my son. Maybe if I was more honest,

something like this wouldn't have happened.”

“Maybe?” Kira chimes in. “Or maybe this

would have happened with or without you. I'm not

gonna lie to you Rich. If this video had surfaced a

68

week ago, I would have jumped on it and used it to

destroy you. But you're not the same person you

were a week ago. I'm not either. None of us are.”

“On that note...we're here.” Max says.

Sitting outside the Air Force base, the

group makes a plan. “So, once Professor

Douchebag comes in, security will be on him like

white on rice,” Mike says. “I think we need to be

in there before he lands. Then, we can lock him in

the room with us until he coughs up the cure.”

“Are we really about to break into an Air

Force base? This seems kinda suicide mission-y to

me,” Max says.

“Look, we're not going to get a better shot

at this. We've got numbers on our side at least, if

we all sneak around, maybe we can get the jump

on a few guys and steal their guns. The infected

seem to get a little sloppy when they're enraged, so

maybe we can use that to our advantage,” Mike

responds.

The group manages to get inside a back

entrance using one of Richard's key cards. “I can't

believe they haven't locked me out, yet,” he states.

“Hey, maybe they think you're dead

already,” Kira responds.

“That's reassuring.”

The Air Force base is surrounded by one

large wall, with several different buildings inside

of it. Richard knows the lay of the land, so he

leads the group to the main building, where they'll

probably bring the professor to. As they sneak

along, they draw the attention of one guard, who

69

catches their scent. Instead of firing his automatic

weapon, he runs toward the group, brandishing it

as a blunt object. Mike pulls out his gun, but

Annette stops him. As the guard dashes toward

them, Annette holds her cane like a golf club, then

swings it directly at his lower jaw, knocking him

out instantly. Mike gives her a “Good job!” look

then they proceed on their way.

When they enter the main building, Mike

has his pistol ready, but to everyone's surprise, the

lobby is empty. No receptionist. No guards.

Nothing. Hesitant, the group continues on inside

the building. Mike leads the way with his pistol

drawn. Max takes up the back with the rifle stolen

from the guard outside. They move down

hallways as Richard points out the proper

directions. Turning one corner into another empty

hallway, the group is stopped by a loud shrieking

of “RICHARD!” Loud footsteps race down the

hallway before Olivia pops up from one corner,

stabbing Mike in the stomach repeatedly before

Richard shoves her down.

“I killed your fucking whore, Richard!

Now I'm going to kill you!” Richard kicks her in

the face, knocking her out. Two guards dash out

with pistols drawn, firing wildly. One of the

bullets grazes Annette on the leg.

Max yells “Get down!” and as everyone

ducks, he fires several rounds into each of the

guards, killing them.

Max falls to his knees. Dom runs to him.

“Max! Are you OK? Did they get you?”

70

“I just killed two men. I-I wasn't ready for

this.” Richard cradles Mike in his arms.

“I'm sorry.” Mike manages to get out.

“Shh...don't talk. We've got to get you some help.

We've got to-”

“It's too late for me, senator.” Mike kisses

Richard on the lips and hands him his gun. “Give

'em hell.” With this, Mike begins coughing up

blood and seizing.

“Nononono” Richard yells as he embraces

the first person he ever truly loved for the final

time.

Attending to Annette's leg, Kira chimes in

“Guys, what do we do? Do we need to get out of

here?”

“I'm fine.” Annette answers.

“We need to finish this.” Through tears,

Richard agrees “It's just a few more hallways

down. We'll hide out in there, until they bring in

the professor.”

“What about these guys?” Dom asks,

pointing at the now-dead guards.

“We take them with us. Don't want to draw

attention to ourselves yet.” Max replies, now on

his feet. The group slowly drags off the dead

guards, as well as Mike's body and Olivia. They

then raid a nearby janitor's closet and clean up any

blood on the floor.

Inside the main meeting room they wait.

Olivia is tied up, but begins to come to. She sniffs

the air, then looks at Richard. “Riiiiiiich. I killed

your boyfrieeeeend. I killed your sooooooon. I'm

71

gonna kill yoooooou.”

Richard approaches his wife. “This was a

setup, wasn't it? You left my key card working in

the off-chance I'd try to come back, didn't you?”

Olivia responds by trying to bite him.

“You're dead, you bastard!” She tries desperately

to wiggle out of her restraints and continues

cursing at Richard until Dom knocks her out with

the butt of a rifle stolen from one of the dead

guards.

“Thanks for that,” Richard says.

“No prob,” Dom replies “and I'm sorry

about Mike. He-he was a good guy.”

“He was the best,” Richard says, as he rips

off part of one of the guards uniforms and uses it

to cover the face of Mike's body. Dom follows

suit, using part of the uniform as a gag for Olivia,

in case she wakes up again. The group takes the

table in the meeting room and turns it over, using it

as cover. Then they sit behind it and wait.

After almost an hour of waiting, the door

opens. Four guards burst in, firing wildly. All

they are able to hit is the corners of the table and

some of the ceiling before Max, Dom, and Kira all

take them down with their rifles. “Oh, my. Such

carnage,” the group hears from the other side of

the door. Inside walks Professor Garland, hands

raised in the air. “Was all this trouble for me?”

“He's not affected,” Kira notices. “No, my dear. I

didn't need to change my DNA to see you for what

you are.” Elroy calmly walks across the room and

pulls out a chair, casually sitting down while

72

having guns drawn on him. “There's no need for

theatrics ladies and gentlemen. I'll tell you

whatever you'd like to know before the guards

come to collect me.” Dom and Rich begin

barricading the door while the others interrogate

the professor.

“How are you not infected?” Kira asks.

“I already stated, there was no need, my

dear. I created the virus to make everyone come

around to my type of thinking. Infecting myself

wasn't necessary.”

“Then how do we fix it? Where' the cure?”

Max asks.

“A cure? You must be joking. I didn't

spend years of my life working on a virus that

would tweak people's DNA only to include an off

switch.”

“You can't fix this? Why-why would you

do this? Are you one of those Westboro fucks?”

Max asks.

“Oh no, I'm a devout atheist. I go nowhere

every Sunday! No, I did this all in the name of

science. Overpopulation has become a serious

problem and we needed to cull out the weak. My

new world not only eliminates homosexuals, but

even new births will know how to sniff out and

destroy anyone with the gene. We're looking at a

full extinction within the next year!”

“And it was all thanks to funding from

offices such as yours senator,” Elroy says, looking

at Rich. “Why, thanks to contributions from

concerned government officials such as yourself, I

73

already had enough drones to blanket the entire

United States in my virus, well before I even

finished it! So, thank you.”

Richard responds by firing three shots

directly into the professor's chest using Mike's

pistol. “That was for my son, you son of a bitch.”

As Elroy gasps for air, Richard fires one more shot

into his skull. “And that was for Mike.”

“Richard, what the hell?!?” Dom shouts.

“We needed him!” Max yells.

“For what?” Richard replies “He already

told us there was no cure. At the very least-we

should be able to avenge our fallen.” Richard

begins taking down the barricade from the door.

The others join in, except Kira who asks “What

about her?” pointing to Olivia.

“Leave her,” Richard responds “she's a

victim too. Just like us.”

The group tears down their barricade and

begins to leave the building. They stop at each

corner, and open fire on anyone they hear running

down the hall. On the way out, the group is forced

to kill four different guards. No one wants to

mention how much easier each kill is to make.

They manage to sneak back outside past the back

gate into their mini-van, now one man short.

“So, what do we do now?” Kira asks.

“New Orleans,” Rich replies “I've got a

place out there. Remote. Off the books. My wife

doesn't even know about it. We'll be safe there.”

The group makes their way to New Orleans

in the stolen mini-van. Kira comes up with the

74

idea to switch out their license plate with another

vehicle, so they stop at the first service station they

see with the fewest cars in the parking lot. Luckily

for the group, Annette's debit card still works, as

they are able to get gas with no problem. Max

scrounges for change to get food from a vending

machine, while Dom and Kira find a car with a

Louisiana license plate to switch with.

The group has a silent agreement not to kill

anyone they absolutely don't have to. This is

tested when they get pulled over on the interstate.

Richard reaches for his gun, but Max instead opens

their windows, letting the officer catch their scent.

The second he's enraged, Max floors it, as the

group watches the officer attempt to give chase on

foot.

As they continue on, Dom decides to fiddle

with the radio to break up the somber silence that

has stayed with the group since Mike's death. He

turns up the volume when he hears the song

'Yesterday' by the Beatles come on. Dom begins to

sing along with it at a low volume. Max gives him

a 'What are you doing?' look, but is interrupted

when he hears Annette singing along as well.

Richard joins in as well, along with Kira. Max

finally gives in and joins along. Before the song

ends, Kira misses a lyric by breaking out into

uncontrollable sobs. Annette begins to console

her, as Dom turns the radio back off. The trip

continues in silence.

The group takes several back roads as

needed, in an effort to avoid driving in any areas

75

that may be too congested. At a rest stop, Max is

forced to knock out a child who catches his scent,

as Richard shoots the child's father in the leg. No

stop ever lasts long enough. No rest is given.

76

Act 3: Escape From LA

Finally, they arrive at their destination. A

large cabin overlooking the ocean in a highly

secluded area. “This place is beautiful, Richard,”

Annette states. “I...had hoped to take Mike here

some day,” Richard responds “but I think it will

suffice for the five of us.” The group begins to

settle into their new home.

Three months pass. Supplies begin to run

low. Morale begins to dwindle. Over time, Kira