Chapters (7)
“Tell him!” The ex-government agent was manhandled out of the room, headphones flicking off his head as he went.
“Tamy’s dad runs a pharmaceutical company,” said Penny.
“Don’t tell him that!” said Tamy.
“Try to picture a field of wheat, Edward,” said Clara.
It clicked for Edward.
Click.
Click.
Tamy was the target.
Click. Very clever. He wanted to tell Ali he loved her.
“Tamy! Tamy!” Thump thump thump.
Edward shot Tamy through the head.
99
Bang!
98
I love you. Not heard over the noise.
97
John rethinks his act. He’d gotten the effect badly wrong. He snaps his collapsible wand.
96
Penny screams.
95
Clara says, “Oh goodness!” drops the phone and loses control of the car.
94
Blood covers Tamy’s window.
93
The police help Tamy’s dad smash down the door. He rushes in with a bellow and a howl.
92
Samuel Thorn gets cut off. “Hello?”
91
Dr. Frankburg asks Samuel how it went.
90
Tamy’s dad jumps at Edward. Gas is sprayed into the room. Another shot goes off and smashes the window before hitting Ali in the chest.
“Oh,” said Ali. “Oh.”
89
Another shot goes off and hits the studio’s whiteboard, “Don’t forget to plug the Christmas special.”
Penny ducks under the table.
88
Edward sees Ali go down but everything is fuzzy now. He is aware of bodies all over him. The gun goes off again and the bullet goes through Tamy’s dad. Tamy’s dad thinks he’s been punched. Not for long, though.
87
Forty percent of Manhattan’s taxis are stationary.
86
“You piece of shit!” shouts the ex-government agent, hoping it’ll be the last thing the CEO hears.
85
My brother Edward feels that too much blood has left his body and he slips away. He uses his last reserves to say, “Why weep you! Did you think I should live forever?” But no one is weeping and no one thinks he will live forever and Tamy’s microphone has been flicked off and no one hears it anyway.
84
John is sick on the floor.
83
Samuel Thorn tells Dr. Frankburg he didn’t think it went terribly well.
82
Graham Johansson hits a pocket of turbulence and the plane drops violently. The copilot gasps, a stewardess breaks an ankle.
81
Emma in 34A drops through the turbulence and thinks of blue skies and green water and hot sun and pink shells and bright stars and the northern lights and waterfalls and cliffs and breaking waves and bluebells in the woods . . .
80
The KKRC controller tries to think of an appropriate jingle to play.
79
Clara fumbles for her phone and her car clips a truck and spins off the road. The car turns over and over and the dented roof hits Clara’s head and it hits it so hard that she won’t live anymore and her brain flickers out a little thought about lobsters hissing in a pan and perhaps she shouldn’t eat them anymore and then she dies.