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DOOM MAGNETIC! - CHAPTER TWELVE:
ARACHNIDS FROM THE RED PLANET
William Pauley III
Z finishes his song, looks around at all the death and destruction that surrounds him, and smiles. He floats down to the floor where Maundin and Vonna are standing, hovering just above the sludge to avoid getting his panty-hose stained.
“You’re THE VOICE, ain’t you?” Maundin asks.
“That I am,” Z replies, smiling. “Thank you so much for your help. I know it’s been a pretty shitty ride for you two, but, as I’d promised before, I do plan to return the favor.”
He extends his hands. Maundin and Vonna hesitate, but reach up to him.
“It’s okay, lovies…touch.”
They touch his hands. A short, tight pinch of electricity enters through their fingertips.
“And there you are.” He pulls his hands away. “Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m running rather late. I really must be going.”
He floats up to the platform from where Qoser was once announcing, and retrieves the purple television.
“Hey, Mr. Starman, just one question for ya,” Maundin shouts.
“Shoot…”
“What do you want with that ratty old television set anyway?”
“Ha, are you kidding? My boy, this is the most perfect stage accessory for when I perform ‘Velvety Coalmine.’ ”
“What the fuck? For serious?!” Vonna asks.
“See, when you’re as popular as me, you’ve got to work extra hard to stay on top, even if it means killing thousands for something as measly as a stage prop. Think of it this way, in 100 years no one will remember what happened today. Not a single soul. But millions upon millions of people will still be listening to my music, seeing my shows, and watching my movies. In the end, ‘celebrity’ is just more important.”
He winks, twitches his nose, and disappears, taking the purple television along with him.
Maundin looks over at Vonna. She looks back at him.
“Well…that’s that, I reckon,” he says, scratching his stubbly face.
“Yup. Guess so.”
They look around the arena. Every square inch is covered in death.
“What now?” he asks.
Vonna shrugs her shoulders.
“How about coffee? You like coffee?” he asks.
“How about a beer?” she offers instead.
Maundin laughs, “I know just the place.”
He flattens his hand and juts the tips of his fingers into the atmosphere, tearing deep into the Doom Magnetic.
Paid subscribers! The next chapter of this story will be posted on January 24th! Stay tuned for Another Eye, Another View
Arachnids From the Red Planet
© William Pauley III, 2009
All rights reserved.
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