Are they Dead!

The Chevy hit the gas pump on the upper island, shearing it off with a slow, implacable force that seemed almost grand.

"Ain't no way this happened!" Ivan spoke out in disbelief.

The previous day, William Bills swore at his life that the taillights never flashed once.

"Those lights.. Never came to life. Never once! I say."

The Chevy just kept coming at a steady 15 miles per hour, like a parade car. The undercarriage scraped over the concrete island, and when the wheels hit it, everyone but Daniel saw the driver swing limply and strike the windshield, cracking the glass.

"It must have hit him hard…" Daniel's voice was just audible to him.

The Chevy jolted like an old dog that had been kicked, smashing into the high-test pump. It snapped off and rolled away, spilling a few dribbles of gas.

"What are you all waiting for… To get blasted?!" William tone came with an urgency.

The nozzle came unhooked and lay glittering under the fluorescent lights. Sparks flew from the Chevy's exhaust pipe grating across the cement, and Jack, who had witnessed a gas station explosion in his youth in France, instinctively shielded his eyes, expecting a fireball.

"Nah, uh not again. I don't wanna see what's happening!" Jack's voice was heard from behind in between the crash.

Instead, the Chevy's rear end flirted around and fell off the pump island on the station side. The front end smashed into the low-lead pump with a hollow bang.

Almost deliberately, the Chevy finished its 360-degree turn, hitting the island broadside. The rear end popped up on the island and knocked the regular gas pump askew, finally coming to rest, trailing its rusty exhaust pipe behind it. It had destroyed two gas pumps on the island nearest the highway.

The motor continued to run choppily for a few seconds and then fell silent. The sudden quiet was so loud it was alarming.

"Holy moly cow!" William spoke breathlessly, his hands holding his head in disbelief.

"Will it blow up now, Jack? What do you think?"

"If it was going to, it already would have," Jack said, getting up. His shoulders bumped the mirror case.

Despite the chaos, Jack felt a cautious sort of jubilation. His pumps were insured, and the insurance was paid up. Elizabeth had harped on the insurance ahead of everything.

"The guy must have been pretty high!"

"Jesus Christ! What the heck just happened in a few seconds?" Ivan asked, still trying to process.

"I saw his taillights," William said, his voice high with excitement. "They never flashed once till now. Holy moly, if he had been doing the 70 speed we would all be dead now. No cap."

"Un-Fucking-believable," Daniel muttered, still staring at the wreckage. "How did he even manage to keep the car on the road that long? He wasn't very drunk prolly."

"Pure luck, or maybe just stubbornness," Hendrick said, shaking his head.

"I am gonna check into it. Daniel pointed to the accident and others followed behind.

They hurried out of the office, approaching the wrecked Chevy with a mix of caution and curiosity.

Jack and Daniel picked the rear of the car. Jack, Ivan, and William reached the car together. They could smell the gas, and as they opened the driver's side door, the man behind the wheel spilled out like an old laundry sack.

"God Dammit. shit!" Ivan shouted, almost screamed. He turned away, clutching his ample belly, and was sick.

"No man, I cannot. Oh my God, I'm just not….I cannot see that."Ivan gagged, spitting in a corner.

The driver was slumped over the wheel, motionless.

"Is he alive?" Jack asked, his voice tinged with both concern and irritation.

It wasn't the man who had fallen out. Jack had caught him neatly before he could thump to the pavement, but the smell that was issuing from the car—a sick stench composed of blood, faecal matter, vomit, and human decay—was ghastly.

"Jeez," Jack muttered, trying not to breathe in through his nose. "This stench is making me sick."

A moment later, Jack turned away, dragging the driver by the armpits.

"William, are you gonna stand there or help?!" he yelled.

William hastily grabbed the driver's legs, and he and Jack carried him into the office. In the glow of the overhead fluorescents, their faces were pale and revolted. Jack had forgotten about his insurance money for the moment.

The others looked into the car, and then... Harris turned away, one hand over his mouth, little finger sticking out like a man who has just raised his wine glass to make a toast. He trotted to the north end of the station's lot and let his supper come up.

"Oh man.. Please stop." Harris spoke to himself while continuing to throw up.

Hendrick and Daniel looked into the car for some time, then at each other, and then back. On the passenger side was a young woman, her shift dress hiked up high on her thighs.

"Swear on Saint Mary. man, this is getting worse," Daniel said, looking at Hendrick with a tense expression.

Leaning against her was a small child, the gender indistinguishable in the dim light and chaos.

"Are they dead?" Daniel asked in a worrisome tone.

Hendrick nodded grimly. "Most probably. Look at their necks... swollen up and the flesh is purple-black like some bruise."

"What happened here?" Daniel whispered. "The flesh under their eyes is puffed... like their eyes would just bulge out."

The woman was holding the child, thick mucus dried up below their noses. Flies buzzed over them, coming in and out of their open mouths.

"I've never seen anything as terrible as this," Daniel said, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes kept landing back on the mother holding the child, their hands intertwined even in death.

"Whatever did this... it wasn't just an accident," Hendrick said, shaking his head slowly. "This is something else entirely."

Daniel felt a chill run down his spine. "We need to get out of here.

Daniel and Hendrick backed away together, exchanging blank, horrified glances. They had no words to speak. As they turned toward the station, they saw Jack talking frantically into the phone.

"I-V-A-N," Jack was shouting. "Get an ambulance here now!"

Ivan, who was trailing behind them, threw nervous glances at the wreck over his shoulder. The Chevy's driver's side door hung open, revealing a pair of baby shoes and a pacifier dangling from the rearview mirror.

Harris was standing by the door, rubbing his mouth with his sleeve.

"It's bad, Daniel," Harris said unhappily, and Daniel nodded.

Jack hung up the phone. The Chevy's driver lay on the floor, moaning softly. "The ambulance will be here in ten minutes. Do you figure they're..." He jerked his thumb toward the Chevy.

"They're dead," Hendrick confirmed, his face yellow-pale as he sprinkled tobacco all over the floor while trying to roll one of his foul-smelling cigarettes.

"Deadest people I've ever seen." He looked at Daniel, who nodded, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

The man on the floor groaned thickly, and they all looked down at him. As he tried to speak, Jack knelt beside him.

"This is my station. Whatever's wrong with the woman and child in the car is wrong with this guy too I guess."

The man's nose was running, and his breathing had a peculiar, churning sound. The flesh beneath his eyes was swollen, and his neck looked unnaturally thick. Jack touched his forehead and recoiled.

"Sheesh! He's burning up. Fever is through the roof. Looks like he's got two extra chins."

The man tried to sit up but couldn't, settling for gripping Jack's arm. "My wife... my little sons... they alright?" he rasped, his voice wet and gurgling.

"They're fine," Jack lied, grinning like a bulldog. "You just need to rest. Help's on the way."

"Clock went red... the alarm. Red.." the man coughed violently, spraying mucus.

Jack grimaced and leaned back. "Oh my Lord, this is bad."

"Better roll him over," Hendrick advised. "He's gonna choke otherwise."

They rolled the man onto his side, and his breathing eased slightly. He blinked slowly, looking up at the men gathered around him. "Where is this?" he asked weakly.

"This is Portside Tavern Pub," Jack said. "You crashed into some of my pumps. But don't worry, they're insured."

Daniel gave a disbelieving look and shook his head in disappointment.

"He can't be serious right now." Daniel mouthed to Hendrick and he just shrugged off.

The man tried to focus, his eyes filled with an intense, sharp concern. "My wife, my baby Aiden... are they okay?" he demanded, spittle flying from his lips.

"They're alright," Jack insisted, more frantically this time. "Just lie down and take it easy."

The man laid back down, his breathing rougher. "We were fine until last night... Then we all got sick. Didn't get away quick enough... Aiden..." His voice trailed off.

The ambulance siren warbled closer. "Man," William said, "oh man."

Daniel went to the window to watch for the ambulance while the others remained in a circle around the man. The tension was palpable.