Free When The Light Goes Out by Jack Thompson Page A

okay?"
    "We're being invaded by zombies, Dustin." "Yes, I know that."
    "Should I be okay?" "Good point." "Thank you."
    I never bothered lifting my head, or my voice. Instead I just kept my eyes closed. Barely holding onto a thread of consciousness. I wanted, so desperately to go to sleep. To go to sleep, and do one of two things. Either wake up, and find out that the entire situation was a terrible, terrible, flu induced nightmare. Or not wake up at all.
     
    I was thinking of death far, far too often. "Excel?"
    "Yes, Ian?" I still didn't lift my head. I didn't raise my voice. I just sighed a sigh that I hoped told him I was as close to sleep as I would probably get for a while. "Are you okay?"
    "Ian, do you realize that we're being invaded by zombies?" "Well, yeah. But"
    "That I just killed one of our classmates?" "Yeah, that"
    "I'm trying, desperately, to go to sleep?" "Well, I figured but"
    "And last, but most definitely not least drum roll please I just went through this with Dustin!" I looked up then. Flashing a completely random, and incredibly toothy grin at the boy. "No, Ian. I'm not okay. You can go away now." And I placed my face back on my knees.
     
    Sure, dismissing the boy rather rudely made me feel bad. But that wasn't the point. I was tired. With a capital "T". Snore while I'm awake, tired. And the numerous people asking me the same question, while all I wanted to do was sleep whether I had to cry myself to that state or not wasn't putting me in a pleasant mood. It wasn't making me optimistic about the situation. It just wasn't.
     
    "Excel?"
     
    "Yes, Malachi?" Exasperation that time.
     
    "You're not okay."
     
    "Thank you for speaking the obvious, and previously stated." "What's wrong?"
    "Who sent you?"
     
    "Those two guys. Why?" "Purple. Now go away." "Make me."
    "Realize, Malachi, I still have your gun."
     
    A moment of hesitation before, "That you do, Excel." "Go away."
    "Make me."
     
    "I'll shoot you." "No you won't."
    "Don't test me, Malachi." "Who's testing? I'm doubting." "Jesus. Go the hell away!" "Yes, your majesty!"
    "Yeah! Well, guess what?! You're getting your life narrated for that one!" I lifted my head up just to shout that at the boys retreating back. "Malachi is walking away. He calmly walks the turn around the seats, heading toward Dustin. He looks towards the back of the auditorium, glaring angrily. He raises his gun, but gets hit in the back of the head by Dustin for his effort. He takes, once again, to glaring in anger." I stopped there, placing my head back on my knees.
     
    Dammit, I was tired.
     
    I was tired, and I closed my eyes, praying for sleep.
     
    But a hand pushing against my shoulders halted all attempts at that one. Again.
    "Goddammit.." I mumbled before shouting from the comfort of my legs, "No, I do not want any girl scout cookies! I don't want to take a survey! And I do not need a new vacuum cleaner!"
     
    "He didn't bring Louie back."
     
    My eyes went wide at that one. I hadn't expected the little girl to come to me next. But there she stood. Red hair matted on the top of her head. Bright green eyes bearing holes into me. It wasn't like she was accusing me of something. But I felt like I'd done something wrong anyway. So I sat up, extending an arm for the girl to enter an embrace if she so chose.
     
    She did, choosing to climb into my lap. Clinging around my neck, like I was the only real thing there. It made me rather sad. What did she want me to do? What did she want me to say? I didn't know. Maybe she didn't know. But she still looked up at me with terribly innocent eyes.
     
    "Where's Louie? Why isn't he here?" "Louie's gone somewhere better." "Better then here?"
    "Yeah." I didn't bother to mention that, present situation, just about anything was better then 'here.' I smiled at her instead. Letting my legs relax, as I leaned back against the wall, more or less hugging the child. "He probably misses you. But he's okay now."
     
    "He's not one of them?" "No,