“Oh, that does not look great,” Joey said.
“No, it doesn’t,” Tamara said.
At the sound of the engine, a flock of shadowed things lighted on a nearby gate.I stared at them and then coughed.
“Real carefully,” I said.“Do you guys see that?”
“Ugh,” Tamara said.“What are those?They look like… medusa heads or something.”
“I’m not seeing Medusa,” Joey said.He sounded hysterical.“That looks like Fran Drescher’s face, on all of them.What the actual fuck?”He started screaming hysterically as they took to wing.“Just drive!”he shrieked.
Tamara floored it.I stared out the side-view mirror.Sure enough, now that he’d pointed it out, they did resemble a certain TV star… and I could hear them honking their annoying laugh as they flapped behind us.
“Pass that way,” I said.“I’ll jump out at the next light.Just keep going!”
“Fuck that shit!”Tamara said.“I got weapons in the back.Open that big black case.”
“I thought this was your cello.You’re a nurse, Tamara,” I said, and my voice was accusatory.
“And I’m not stupid.I’ve been preparing for this ever since I saw my first Code Blue wave at me as he walked out the door.Joey, grab a gun.Stacey.I know your Dad hunted.How’s your shot?”
“Not the best,” I said.“What are we doing?”
“In for a penny, in for a pound.You two are gonna shoot these bastards away from us.You find anything you like in there?”
I dug around.There was more ammunition and guns in this thing than I’d ever seen.
“Joey, you’ve got to take a look at this.”
“I wondered why it was so heavy,” Joey said.“Hand me a revolver.”
Something glittered under the streetlights.Tamara made a hard turn, and I rocked with it, then plunged in and came out with my prize.It was a scoped rifle.
“Tamara, I’ll never doubt you again,” I said.
“Shut up and start shooting the Nannies,” she said.
Joey and I rolled down our windows.He leaned his head out, and I leaned my head out.
“Umm,” I said.“Can you not shoot me in the face?”
“Opposite window, Stace,” Tamara snapped.
“I knew that,” I said.I scooted over behind her and rolled the window down.Again with the manual handle.“Child lock’s on.I can only get it halfway down.”
“Improvise, bitch!”Tamara snapped.
I opened the door, leaning out.Aimed through the scope.BLAM.A short sharp shrill, nasal laugh before one of the Tazmynes exploded.I aimed and scoped another one.Another flock took to wing from yet another lamp post.Outside, the crowd near the mall was breaking in two.One of the groups was slowly shuffling toward us…
“This isn’t going to work,” Joey panted.
“Shut the door, Stacey,” Tamara said.
“What?”I pulled my body in.The street bobbed before me.“What are you talking abou—”
We veered, wheels and brakes shrieking, and the door was ripped off by a pole.
“Holy shit,” I said.
