Free Rocky Mountain Die by Jake Bible

would do any good since I have two ears.
    Man, that was a waste of good thought power.
    “Out loud again, Dad,” Charlie says. “And i t wa s a waste of good thought power.”
    Elsbeth slams her fist into Cassie’s face and the woman shuts up. She lies there smiling, blood trickling from her split lips that form a shit-eating grin. Cat and the canary grin. Cheshire cat grin. Too many cat grins. Do cats grin? I bet there’s a book around here that will tell me.
    The Z moans get considerably louder and are joined by the groaning of metal.
    Stuart crawls off then comes scurrying back.
    “They’re all trying to climb the escalators at once,” Stuart says. “Too much weight. They’ll bring them down.”
    “That’s not a bad thing,” I say. “If they bring them down then we’re safe up here until they go away.”
    Stuart starts to speak then shakes his head.
    “There’s always something that reminds me why we keep you around,” Stuart says. “Stay here and watch her. The rest of you come with me.”
    “Where are we going?” Stella asks.
    “Gonna call the Zs up to us,” Stuart says. “Some will make it, but most will get jammed on the escalators. With any luck, they’ll collapse and we’ll have time to figure out our next moves.”
    “Works for me,” Elsbeth says as she stands and sets the baseball bat in my lap. “Smack her if she tries anything.”
    “Uh, I can’t raise my thumb, let alone a baseball bat, El,” I say.
    “Don’t be a pussy, Long Pork,” Elsbeth sighs as she pulls her two blades from her pack and gives them a quick whirl. “Too many pussies in the world still. Don’t be one of them.”
    Charlie pulls two pistols from his pack and hands one to Stuart and the other to Stella.
    “Thanks,” Stuart says. “Any magazines?”
    Charlie tosses him two.
    “Mom?” Charlie asks.
    “Um, yes, please,” Stella says, her eyes watching Charlie closely. “What will you use?”
    Elsbeth hands Charlie one of her blades. “He’s been practicing,” she says.
    “I thought you were showing him how to shoot?” I say.
    “You run out of bullets,” Elsbeth says. “You never run out of blades.”
    “And she has been showing me how to shoot,” Charlie says. “I’ll show you later when we —”
    “Hush,” Elsbeth says. “You talk too much like your daddy.” She nods at Cassie. “Don’t know what will happen to her. Stay quiet.”
    “Right,” Charlie frowns. “My bad.”
    “Your bad,” Elsbeth says and starts to walk towards the escalators.
    “I guess it’s time to go,” Stuart says and joins her.
    Stella gives me a quick kiss and is gone with Charlie right behind.
    “Watch her,” Charlie says before they are lost from my sight.
    I turn and look down at Cassie. I’m suddenly not so sure about the plan. Yes, she is tied up tight, knots made by Elsbeth and Stuart, both people that know how to make knots, but damn if she isn’t scary as hell.
    “I heard all of that,” she smiles.
    Fuck.
    We just hang, staring at each other as we wait for the start of the shit that is about to go down.
    “So...where are you from originally?” I ask. “I know Elsbeth was from Connecticut or something. Are you a Yankee too?”
    “Yankee?” Cassie laughs. “Really?”
    “I’ve lived in the South a long time,” I say. “North of the Mason-Dixon line and you’re a Yankee.”
    “I believe that technically New Englanders are Yankees,” Cassie says.
    “Then why are the New York Yankees called the Yankees?” I respond. “Got ya there.”
    “True enough,” Cassie nods. She watches me for a second. “Didn’t I tell you where I was from when we first met?”
    “What? Back at the Biltmore in Asheville? No, you didn’t really tell me much of anything,” I say. “But, you know, Asheville was under siege and blowing up and shit. We were busy.”
    I wait.
    And wait.
    “Gonna tell me? Or do I have to guess?” I ask.
    Then the shit we’ve been waiting for starts. Or the sounds of the