Brightside, p.25
Brightside,
p.25
The powdered eggs had tested almost metallic. Edwards had just assumed it was the water from Rex’s canteen. Now, he knew the truth. They’d been poisoned. It’s why Rex had been able to take everyone out. Barklett was the fastest draw in the squad.
Rex started cursing, smacked at his skin, and hopped around like he was on fire.
A water bead trickled down into Edwards’ ear and burned. And that’s when Edwards saw the undulating black stream thinning on the ground in front of his face. Little droplets spread out and crawled towards his eyes. It wasn’t water. It was ants. And they weren’t the kind you’d find at a picnic. They were devouring Edwards, and there was nothing he could do but blink.
“Now this is an army,” Rex said. “There might be twenty million in this one colony. All working together.” Rex spat on the stream of ants. A few got stuck in his loogie. Others scattered. But they all found their way back towards their goal. “Now, that’s loyalty. They know what’s important. It’s not the individual. It’s the team.” Rex bent down and lowered his head so Edwards could look him in the eye. “I knew you all were going to talk. You forced my hand.” Rex shook his head. “No, our boys have lost enough…perception-wise. I had to put us on track again. For the greater good.”
The M-16 lay a few feet away. Edwards tried to fling his arm, but it barely moved. He felt an ant crawling up his cheek and closed his eyes. It gnawed at the thin layer of skin until bits of red light filtered through.
Edwards tried to cry out, which sent a battalion of ants into his mouth. He gagged, almost puked. Rex stood, walked over to Edwards’ M-16, and picked it up. “I am sorry though. I want you to know that.” He forced a little laugh. “What you wouldn’t give for a can of Raid right now, huh?”
Edwards swallowed a mouthful of blood and managed to eek out, “Please…”
“Ah, man, I wish I could. Truly. But if anyone finds you, I can’t let it get back to me.”
Edwards blew out strings of bile and ants. Then he tapped his finger onto his chest. Rex gave a little nod.
“Okay, alright. But you got to do this on your own.” Rex bent down and placed the rifle in Edwards’ hands. The barrel was just under Edwards’ chin. “All you gotta do is squeeze.”
Edwards’ finger fumbled for the trigger. Rex told him he was almost there. Edwards dragged the gun a little higher, strained to lift his head a few inches. There was a fleeting thought he might be able to take one shot at Rex, but it didn’t last long. He just stared at what was left of his hand, the tendons and bones. A cluster of ants, clinging to some remaining flesh, plopped down onto his chest and carried away the meat. Edwards’ finger started to slide off the trigger, but Rex held him firm, even placed his own finger over Edwards’ bone.
“They’re army ants, Eddie. Just like you and me.”
CONNECT ONLINE
Follow Mark on his journey across the country as he interviews fighters, reads from Brightside and 25 Perfect Days.
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THE MUSIC BEHIND BRIGHTSIDE
Special thanks to the following bands whose music helped inspire Brightside. To read how their music affected me, you can check out this post: http://marktullius.com/2012/11/the-music-behind-brightside/
Machine Head http://machinehead1.com/
Fear Factory http://fearfactory.com/
Puscifer https://store.puscifer.com/
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SINCERE THANKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COMING SOON
EXCERPT FROM 25 PERFECT DAYS
EXCERPT FROM REPACKAGED PRESENTS
CONNECT ONLINE
THE MUSIC BEHIND BRIGHTSIDE
Mark Tullius, Brightside
