Page 90 - Vol. VI #3

O.G. (continued from preceding page)
My Lord, Ellen! That new music, where does it
It’s the smoke! Where’s Brunhildë?
Fire! Fire!
Everybody form a line, hold hands!
I have lived to see the End Times! I knew it! Rrrrreeeeeeeee—
come from?
If Ms. Gretel got any lower I think she’d of been crawling on the floor!
Did you see the lovely balloon animals Margie made? The monkey on the bicycle?
Works well with her hands, I see. Betty Jean! ~
As if we hadn’t had enough excitement today already!
The staff all agree—despite one broken hip and a
few stitches—the event was a victory. Olivia too
has had her triumph, moving everything in one
day. Bright pink from her hot bath, she counts
the money in her locked room, then she counts it
again. She flips the bills through her fingers and
smells them, wishing to smack someone in the Oh God, they’ve got guns! face with it. She feels quite, quite high. She opens
the window and smokes one last Virginia Slim. Enough, she thinks. She has enough.
Where O.G., nurse? No foolin’!
I knew that woman would bring ruination on us all! You hear bird calls, Ricky? She speakin’ pigeon? Ninja kick the damn door in!
What smells better: fresh money or an ocean breeze?
Down the hall, Brunhildë leads the other resi- dents in need of assistance to their rooms. A few remain in the rec-room watching the evening news, but eventually all the dentures are dropped in water and lights flipped off. Olivia too turns
~
in for the night, though she is restless, unable to sleep. Elton clacks around his cage, still singing:
Outside in the parking lot, the heat of the flames is oppressive. They hadn’t meant to start such a large fire, but they were buzzing hard off all the smoke and drink and once the flames caught they took off with a will all their own. Piju Killa stands with his nine milli to Tony’s head in the booth by the gate. Both watch as the fire eats its way into the Home.
Money in the bank! Awaak! Money in the bank! Not long after light’s out, a new sort of commo-
tion commences.
There’ll be retaliation, Tony says. O.G. ruthless. Shutup, Tone Def.
~
Oh! What is that noise?
She had her ex-husband and his pregnant wife killed. Sunk their damn boat.
Rrrrreeeeeeeeee—
It’s the fire alarm! Is that you, Franny?
She just an old fart, Tone Def. Ain’t no bogeywoman. But Piju gets more and more nervous the longer
I can’t see anything! Are those my glasses? 81
Someone is breaking through the side door!
ICU up in here! Intensive Care Unit for life! Viper- Loc for life!
Eeeh! Louie—it’s those damn peeping toms! Intruders!