After the Pandemic: Family Man (712 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.96 on 19 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Benny (View user info) at 2005-09-02 08:56:52 EDT
Tony reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow. Glancing at his watch he saw it was time to finish his shift. He had just enough time to shower in the staff room and then head off to his second job. By now Maria would be feeding their two girls. A smile went to his lips as he thought of them, his two little angels. He would do anything for them, a fact he proved everyday by working two jobs. He wished he could be there with them but knew that it wasn't possible.
Today had been harder than usual. It was never easy to work when you were feeling sick. Tony had had this damn flu for a couple of days now. Yesterday hadn't been so bad, just a sore throat and a headache. Today he had suffered bouts of extreme nausea and had been sweating profusely. He had made a few bad mistakes today, a fact that hadn't been missed by his supervisor. There were a couple of other guys at the factory that seemed to have the same thing, a reason why his supervisor hadn't sent him home. With a few guys off sick there wouldn't have been anyone to replace him anyway. One thing was for sure Barry McCormack would never let production fall off more than could be helped. Barry's desire for bonuses thankfully coincided with Tony's need to be earning money.
After finishing his shower he changed into a pair of jeans and a buttoned shirt displaying the words "Yuen's Market". Grabbing his bicycle he waved to a few guys that were milling around chatting after their shift had ended. Exiting the factory's front gate he cycled a few blocks to his next job.
Mr. Yuen was sweeping outside when Tony arrived.
"Hey Mr. Yuen, how's it going?"
Glancing up from the footpath Mr. Yuen took a look at Tony and said "I'm alright Tony. Are you feeling okay? You don't look very well."
"I'm just a little puffed from riding here Mr. Yuen" Tony lied. Mr. Yuen never let people work when they were sick. He said it was bad for business.
Mr. Yuen looked at Tony for a moment longer and gave a quick nod.
"Okay go and get started. Take this with you" he said as he passed Tony the broom.
Taking the broom he went into the store to start serving at the register.
Mr. Yuen came shuffling into the store. Tony admired the old Chinese guy. Even though Mr. Yuen was about seventy he still worked nearly every day. The Yuens had come from China twenty years ago with about fifty dollars to their name. Since their arrival Mr. Yuen and his two sons had become part of the American dream, with hard work they now owned two convenience stores.
Fourty-two customers later, four hours had passed and Tony was told by Mr. Yuen to go into the back and get stock for the fridges. Walking out the back Tony felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Something wasn't right. Tony had been sick before but never like this. Rather than heading to the storeroom like he had been told to, he made his way to the bathroom. Rushing into the solitary stall he retched into the bowl and looked in horror at the red liquid that was filling it.
"Sweet Jesus. What the hell is wrong with me?" he groaned in between stomach spasms.
After a few more moments his stomach was feeling tight but for now it seemed like he had finished vomiting. He flushed and exited the stall. Thankfully he didn't have any mess on his clothes, so all he had to do was wash his face clean. Looking into the mirror above the sink he noticed that his eyes had a glazed look. The pounding headache he hadn't been able to shake all day was suddenly gone leaving him feel a bit light headed. Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself he went into the storeroom and grabbed a case of coke.
As he picked up the coke Tony realized he could hear raised voices coming from the front of the shop. Through the closed door he couldn't quite make out what was being said so he moved closer to the storeroom door.
"Hurry up, you old fuck! Put the money in the bag" Someone yelled.
Tony heard Mr. Yuen "Okay, okay take it easy. I will do what you say".
Putting the case of coke down Tony reached for a shovel that staff used to clear snow from outside the shop in winter. This wasn't the first time the store had been robbed. Sometimes the thieves just took some money and ran out of the store. Tony fervently hoped that was what the robbers would do. He didn't want to rush into the front of the store because if they were armed they might start shooting at any perceived threat. Besides Mr. Yuen had always cautioned his employees that money could be replaced but people couldn't.
"That's all there is. Please take it and go" Mr. Yuen said in a shaky voice.
"What is this shit? There's got to be more money than this. Give me the rest or I'll put a bullet in your fucking head."
Things were turning nasty. Tony knew from previous experience that this wouldn't be the type of robber to just run out of the store. He cautiously reached for the door handle. Pulling on the handle gently the door opened enough so that Tony could see two men with shaved heads pointing guns at Mr. Yuen. The smaller of the two men who was wearing a shirt displaying a white power slogan shook his gun at Mr. Yuen aggressively.
"Let's just kill this fucking rice muncher" the smaller one said between gritted teeth.
Taking that as a queue Tony swung the door open quickly and charged forward with the shovel like a spear. Taking the two robbers by surprise he managed to jab the bigger one in the face before either could react. The large skinhead clutched at his eye and stepped back blocking the one wearing the white power shirt. Dropping the shovel, Tony reached under the counter and withdrew a machete that one of Mr. Yuen's sons had put there after their first robbery. The smaller robber pushed his friend out of his line of sight and was starting to aim when Tony managed to lunge forward and smack the business edge into white power's arm. Meeting some resistance the machete carried through it, severing the limb and causing the skinhead to clutch franticly at the gushing stump where his lower arm had just been. The big one with a wounded eye had half fallen after being pushed and was just out of Tony's reach when he recovered enough to start pulling his pistol's trigger. The first round slammed into the wall behind the counter. The second ploughed through Mr. Yuen's forehead leaving a large hole and a splatter of gore over the wall. Mr. Yuen had a shocked look on his face as he crumpled to the floor, the contents of the bag he had been filling scattered around him. The next three rounds slammed into Tony's chest and abdomen. The raised machete fell out of Tony's hand and with a gasp of shock and pain he keeled over behind the counter.
Tony lay on the floor gasping for air. Breathing had become a nightmarish task and he had to fight the urge to stop. Tony could hear white power screaming for a while before he seemed to start controlling himself. The larger one stepped into view coming behind the counter. Bending over, the large skinhead started collecting the fallen money ignoring the fact that there was blood mixed with brain matter on most of it. Tony noticed the blood and brains.
His eyes followed the blood splattered money. He could see so many shades of red, more than he thought could possibly exist. It was beautiful. Everything else seemed gray and pale. Glancing up he saw the wound on the big skinheads face. Blood dripped from the gash where the shovel had hit him. Tony's labored breathing faltered and then stopped. The muscles in his jaw were twitching, his teeth clenching against each other.
Tony sat up. His gaze was vacant and yet completely focused on the wounded man in front of him.
The big skinhead was moving as quickly as he could, stuffing cash into the plastic bag. He paused briefly when he heard the younger convenience clerk moan behind him. "Shut up and die already you piece of shit" he muttered.
Shuffling sounds behind him caused the robber to turn and look with amazement and then horror as Tony stood up. Drawing in a quick breath the large skinhead tried to scream as Tony fell upon him. Sinking his strong white teeth into the robber, Tony began to chew with vigor. Large chunks of flesh came away with ease. Warm salty blood and meat filled his mouth to bursting before he swallowed as quickly as he could. Nothing else existed except the need to feed. The robber struggled for a few moments more and then was still. The feast continued. Large pieces of meat were now missing from the skinhead's face and body. Taking a few more bites Tony paused. The blood and flesh so vibrant and red just moments ago suddenly paled before him. Hunger racked his body but he could no longer gain any pleasure from feeding on the fallen man before him.
Moving away from the robber Tony watched as the big skinhead's eyes opened. Sitting back on his haunches Tony examined the man. Instinctively Tony recognized the robber as one of his own.
Muffled whimpers attracted Tony's attention. He rose to his feet, the robber standing as well. Both of them moved from behind the counter into the store. White power was seated on the floor. A makeshift bandage had been wrapped around his stump and he was rocking backwards and forwards with the pain. It took him a while before he looked up, feeling the sensation of being watched. Letting out a startled shriek the smaller man scrambled backwards, his stump leaving a trail of blood despite the bandage. Making it to the front of the shop the robber's back connected with the glass door. Before he could open it, Tony and the big skinhead dragged him away from any chance of freedom. Both of them fed upon the smaller robber until he too become like them.
Both robbers simultaneously moved back behind the counter and Tony heard wet chewing sounds as they fed upon Mr. Yuen's body. In the back of Tony's dulled mind something nagged at him. Standing there he surveyed the room, looking for something. His gaze went past and then came back to a large clock hanging from the wall behind the register. After staring at the clock for a long time he blinked and then lurched into forward motion. Opening the front door Tony exited and started off down the road.
He moaned softly as he thought of the family that was waiting for him. Daddy was coming home.
User Reviews
Submitted by rorrim (user info) at 2007-03-16 09:31:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Just couldn't stand the temptation to give you 1k hits!
Submitted by Snare (user info) at 2007-03-16 03:22:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You sir, put my Bladeraver shit in the shade!
Submitted by r0fl (user info) at 2006-08-15 23:57:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Where are you, Benny?
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2006-05-17 19:16:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
still really good.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-12-20 11:21:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i wish this series would continue
Submitted by mbstateside (user info) at 2005-09-26 11:22:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Not bad, not bad at all.
Submitted by hcp28 (user info) at 2005-09-04 11:14:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked it. very interesting.
Submitted by Benny (user info) at 2005-09-03 21:15:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Quite a number of different story lines had already been explored in ATP so I thought it might be interesting to see something from a different perspective.
Unfortunately word wasn't great at picking up all my typos. The first time I put in "Fourty" it actually accepted that as a word. I think next time I'll wait a while to proof read so that errors stand out more easily.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-09-02 20:11:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-09-02 11:56:42 (#)
Ranking: 2
I could nit-pick on grammar and typos, but fuck it. Solid little tale, from a POV not really explored.
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Seconded.
I think you could benefit from some similes or metaphors to spice up your descriptions, but I liked the angle you took on this.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-09-02 15:22:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
yeah, not bad - a little late, but not bad.
Submitted by spamtrap50 (user info) at 2005-09-02 12:49:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Brand new Angry Kansan!
Submitted by starshine (user info) at 2005-09-02 12:25:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
yay
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-09-02 11:56:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I could nit-pick on grammar and typos, but fuck it. Solid little tale, from a POV not really explored.
Submitted by nrduncan (user info) at 2005-09-02 11:03:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2005-09-02 10:31:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good
Submitted by Professional_Peon (user info) at 2005-09-02 10:06:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Cool
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-09-02 09:54:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
first time I've seen the man into muncher story. some trivial mistakes though, like "queue" for "cue" and "fourty" for "forty". very good though, I was waiting for you to post more on this.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2005-09-02 09:15:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I wasn't too satisfied with the distinction between the two robbers and I would have liked a more human ending than the rather clichéd "Daddy's coming home!" line. That's just my foolish opinion though. Great story.
Submitted by Barnymeinhoff (user info) at 2005-09-02 09:11:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
wicked