Free Pursuit of the Apocalypse by Benjamin Wallace

eyes?”
    “They say he’s looking for one to replace his own. Beneath that patch.”
    “That is the stupidest thing you’ve ever believed, Coy.”
    “It is not!”
    “Oh really. So tell me why, if he was really looking to replace his missing eye with another eye, which is not how eyes work by the way, if they didn’t fit why wouldn’t he just throw them away? Why would he keep them in a pouch? That’s just gross.”
    “Yeah, but it’s scary.”
    Willie looked down the hill at the biker gang. The Iron Eagles were still more than twenty strong. He looked from face to face and saw nothing but angry men bent on causing pain. He felt the would-be pain in his teeth for a reason he couldn’t explain. “I ... I don’t want to go down there and apologize.”
    “Well, I’m not going to do it,” Coy said.
    “You dropped the bridge on them.”
    “It was an accident, Willie. And you know it.”
    “Apologize!” Like a second explosion, Hawk’s shout shook the world around them.
    Coy and Willie looked at one another and then to their bikes.
    “You know, Coy, I do feel like we owe him an apology, but I’d much rather apologize when we have money to say I’m sorry with.”
    “Me, too, Willie. I think that would be a much better apology.” Coy slowly backed toward his bike.
    Willie looked down the hill. Several of the Iron Eagles were beginning to climb toward them. He shouted to Hawk. “It’s okay, Hawk. We’ll go ahead and catch him for you. He won’t get away.”
    “Don’t you cowards run!” Hawk screamed and ushered more men up the hill.
    “It’s not a problem. Really.” Willie ran to his bike and jumped on. “We’ll get him and bring him back.”
    Coy triggered his engine and was gone down the eastern face of the hill before Willie even got his kickstand up. He switched the key and pushed the electric start as the Iron Eagles made the top of the hill. He screamed as he gunned his engine and soared down the hill after Coy.
    NINE
    The town was always easy to find because of all the damned flags, and Mr. Christopher noted that they had added quite a few since he was last forced to stop in the former college town.
    The flags began in the abandoned parts of town and were posted on either side of the street forming a colorful corridor on the decaying roadways. Several of the flags and banners were from a time before the world blew itself up. Peace signs, trees, and more than a few whales stood against colorful fields that flapped in the breeze. Many of the flags, however, had been born out of the apocalypse itself.
    The first strike in the war to end the world had occurred with such suddenness that every news anchor was wiped out with the exception of Brian Williams as he had been doing nothing of note at the time. So, with no reliable new source available, it was never really clear who or what had caused the conflict that ended the world. But, the citizens of the town did not let the mystery stand in their way. They knew exactly who was to blame, and every flag was a condemnation against them.
    One flag showed a burning cigarette morphed into a lit fuse that ran down an illustrated trachea before branching off into lungs comprised of sticks of dynamite.
    The one next to it depicted the golden arches held aloft the head of an obese clown with a wicked smile. The clown itself was plugged into a dialysis machine that took in blood and spit out piles of money.
    A golden field of grain flapped in the wind and appeared normal at first glance, but if one cared to stare at it long enough they would see that the golden field was composed of broken DNA strands instead of wheat.
    A blue flag bore the words “Everyday Low Wages” beneath a yellow smiley face that was winking at the viewer.
    Multiple shades of green depicted a booming oil derrick on top of an emaciated world covered with blood from the well.
    A white apple silhouette stood in front of crossed bones against a black field.
    A red banner with white