Chapter 4: Between Thin Lines Part V

Nikolai has only one goal in mind. He begins to believe that talking to Jason that way was a bad idea and that maybe he went too far with the way he spoke to him. Nikolai believes that the worst could have happened to him since he knows that he is not prepared for a world like that, if he wasn't prepared for it before it all went bad...

Nikolai remains pensive. As he drives the van through the park he can't help but feel repulsed by the dead, which is why he takes the opportunity to run over them as soon as he sees them.

"I feel very sorry for them," Megan expressed. "They were people."

"You said it very well. They were. They're not anymore. Now they're a walking sack of meat looking to gouge your eyes out and eat you whole." Kalinic replied very reluctantly.

"Still. They at some point in their lives were people. At any time we can end up like them, and that's a reality. Sometimes I wonder if this is what awaits us."

"Can you two stop with your existentialist bullshit? I think we should focus on finding Jason or other things instead of getting philosophical about the afterlife" Matthew grumbled, grimacing in disgust.

"Maybe it's not a bad thing to talk about this." Megan contradicted. "It's what makes us...us. They unfortunately can't do anything for themselves anymore, but we can. I don't know about you, but I think delving into these things makes us give life meaning."

"Well here's my meaning. You live, then you fucking die in the most gruesome way and that's it. There is no sequel." Matthew replied.

"In a sense, yes, however we don't all share your way of looking at things. For my part I reckon that maybe there is something, and maybe they are the interruption between that 'something', but I can't figure out exactly what it is yet." Megan responded so calmly.

"Do you believe in God, Megan?"

"That's right, Sergeant Phillips. I was born into an ordinary family and raised under Christian values. The very thought of taking the lives of those... those... entities, terrifies me."

"You should get used to it then. They're not going to be scared of the idea of killing you, they'll even find it tempting..." Matthew interjected.

"And do you believe in God, Sergeant?"

"No, Megan, I don't believe in God. I stopped believing a long time ago because of my job. When you've been on the force for over thirty years and you see all kinds of things, you start to wonder where God was in those cases. The apocalypse we are living through today has reaffirmed my atheist stance. I mean... Where was God when that eight year old girl was raped by her mother? Where was God for these people whose bodies were found inside suitcases?""

"I can't criticize. We have both lived completely different lives. Maybe there is room to believe in something, maybe not a divine being, but something symbolic like the survival of the younger members of the group or life itself. You see Mr. Jeff Bailey, he learned to pray."

"***An atheist who learned to pray***... I never would have expected that. Perhaps I would have thought Jeff reaffirmed his stance and this was yet another proof of the non-existence of God...yet this has given him the courage to move on." Greg scratched his chin and neck.

"Not just him. There's another man, Danny, Danny Lennox. The man who is missing an arm. He says he's seen what's after death and claims it's motivated him to stay alive."

"And what did this Danny guy see, did he meet his maker? Ha ha." Matthew scoffed.

"He hasn't told us, yet no one has the courage to ask him and delve into the subject."

Nikolai drove on until they reached the entrance to the parking lot.

"I saw what Clark did at this place. He rescued a woman, Loraine was her name, I think so. The woman had been hiding in her trunk for hours because she was surrounded. I find it hard to believe that a person can last that long locked up... although I still wonder how she managed to literally break one of the taillights on her vehicle."

"She must have had a bar, or something. To think my brother Bobby and his son must be here..."

Nikolai glanced in the rearview mirror at Greg and passed saliva a little too hard.

"Bobby?" Megan asked, receiving a sidelong glance of concern from Nikolai.

"Yes. Bobby. His son Dennis and him were going to come to this place to buy the kid a guitar. I gave them some money so they could buy that and more. My brother complains a lot that his TV is failing and his son needs a computer to do his online activities, what with them catching the youngsters up on technology."

Greg noticed Megan and Nikolai's uncomfortable silence, so he walked over and looked at them.

"You guys wouldn't know anything about them would you?"

How were they going to explain to that man that his brother was dead and that his nephew had been raped and murdered?

"Hmm... no. We haven't seen them around. However Megan and Ashley will let us know if there are any civilian sightings."

"Thank you, Nikolai. I hope they're fine..." Greg put his hand on Kalinic's shoulder and shook him. Nikolai smiled back at him noting his dislike of being touched.

"According to Ashley, Jason was around here. She says she saw him around this area... although I'm concerned that Jason was able to move from one point to another so quickly" Megan pulled on her gloves and adjusted her knee pads.

"What are you implying?"

Nikolai looked worriedly at Megan. Her intimidating stare and large, dilated eyes were not a pleasant sight.

"Jason must have been transported by someone else?"

"Don't fuck with me, Megan! " Nikolai grew frustrated.

"Or he probably hid in the offices here. Let's go take a look at him."

Without further ado the group entered the area.