(no subject)
5:00 AM. Leland woke up with a pain in his forehead. It felt as though millions of tiny elves were practicing incompetent acupuncture on him.
"Damned little people," he said, still in a daze.
It was then that he noticed the wrecked car laying on the side of the road next to him. Choking smoke rose from the hood -- it was obviously still fresh. Perhaps that's what he was doing asleep in the middle of a country freeway.
A slight movement came from the passenger seat. Leland took several steps forward. "Hello?"
There was a slight sound: gurgling. Leland opened the door.
"Oh, Jesus."
He vomited. Whatever was in that car, it wasn't human: some mass of flesh and bones and--
-- Leland retched again, but it was a dry heave. He slowly made his way toward the bag that had been lying near him, and picked it up. It was his; that he was sure of.
In the distance, a blaze of electricity lit the night sky. He set set off toward it. In his wake there was a trail of perfectly black footprints, each sunken several inches into the asphalt. Leland did not notice.
A figure slowly fell out of the car. Its mouth was open, paralyzed, and it gurgled a single word:
"Why?"
The city burned on silently, uncaring.
"Damned little people," he said, still in a daze.
It was then that he noticed the wrecked car laying on the side of the road next to him. Choking smoke rose from the hood -- it was obviously still fresh. Perhaps that's what he was doing asleep in the middle of a country freeway.
A slight movement came from the passenger seat. Leland took several steps forward. "Hello?"
There was a slight sound: gurgling. Leland opened the door.
"Oh, Jesus."
He vomited. Whatever was in that car, it wasn't human: some mass of flesh and bones and--
-- Leland retched again, but it was a dry heave. He slowly made his way toward the bag that had been lying near him, and picked it up. It was his; that he was sure of.
In the distance, a blaze of electricity lit the night sky. He set set off toward it. In his wake there was a trail of perfectly black footprints, each sunken several inches into the asphalt. Leland did not notice.
A figure slowly fell out of the car. Its mouth was open, paralyzed, and it gurgled a single word:
"Why?"
The city burned on silently, uncaring.