Vox Mentis

Shoot.

Shoot him!!!! you have to!!!!

Bang Bang, you shot the gun.

Isn't it nice to kill someone for a change?

The man's torso flops onto the side of the pickup's bed. He swings a leg up and you see the jeans are dark with blood, the denim poking out in odd places. The man strains. His leg slips off the pickup and he begins trying to swing it up again.

"Stop fucking climbing!"

"Safe... ty," says Tom. "Button. On. Side."

"I'm Australian, I know how to use a shotgun!" You take a hand off the gun, squeeze it into a fist for circulation. "Stop, you motherfucker!"

The man rises on one leg and balances awkwardly. His face is caked with dirt and blood. He looks intent and focused and not at all concerned about the gun you're pointing at him. He begins to navigate along the side of the pickup's bed.

"Fuck," you say, and pull the trigger. The gun booms. The man falls off the truck. You drop the shotgun without thinking. "Goddammit fuck!"

"Good," says Tom.

The transport's engine bellows. Its exhausts hiss; its wheels begin to turn.

"Now," says Tom. "Help me, please."