The Very Last Days of Mr Grey by Jack Worr Read Free Book Online Page B

waves too. They probably can’t see him.
    Then the plane is moving, and that’s when Mason sees her. She’s in a different terminal, looking out onto the runway. She stands there, shining in the sun. A girl who looks familiar. A girl he knows he’s seen before.
    She’s gone, the plane is speeding up. Someone pokes him. It’s a girl his age. A girl who will introduce herself as Lily.
    She is the only one not wearing her seatbelt, and she leans across the aisle to poke him. He smiles at this small rebellion—he can’t help it, he’s a teenager.
    She stands. A flight attendant shouts at her to sit down. She does, taking the seat next to him. It must be close enough that the flight attendant can’t tell that the girl changes seats, because they aren’t bothered the whole flight.
    This is how he meets Lily, this is how he becomes a screenwriter. This is why he is poor.

18
    Mason awoke. Disoriented by the fact he had been sleeping.
    He tried to sit up, but felt very weak. He was in a hospital room. The plane had crashed.
    No, the car accident, he remembered. Then he remembered that this wasn’t the first time he’d woken up, that he was fine and awake when he was brought in by ambulance.
    No , a voice whispered, you weren’t. I was .
    Mason looked around.
    A nurse smiled at him. “Hello.”
    “Water,” Mason mumbled.
    “Oh, sorry sweetie, no water.”
    “Why…”
    “Before surgery. I can get you a popsicle stick or some—”
    Mason strained to sit up. “No!”
    “Calm down, Mason. It’s okay.” She turned and called, “Help here.”
    Two other nurses came in. Mason saw one of them inject something in his IV drip.
    “No, I’m fine.” He breathed in. He guessed it really wasn’t that big of a deal to get cut open. They knew what they were doing. If he needed to cut the time would be okay for the world and the truck…

    “He’s out.”
    “Dammit Steve. You gave him too much.”
    The nurse shrugged.
    “The anesthesiologist is going to kill us.”

19
    There are monsters. This was the first thing he saw.
    But as he watched, somehow they change, become men. There was a car. It was nondescript, except in that it was a Ford. The once monsters enter this vehicle.
    There was a skip, a jitter away from periodicity. They arrive at a large building and with no hesitation whatever they are outside the car. It was left idling.
    They walk in. There was a lobby. One shows something to the woman behind the desk.
    She wore a funny hat. She pointed, saying something.
    The men turn. There’s an elevator. They nod, enter. They are going up the floors, up to—

    Mason woke up. He was sweating.
    He looked at the door and was not surprised when it opened revealing…
    But his expectations were misleading, it was just a nurse who came in. A woman. “Are you all right?”
    Mason didn’t respond. It was the same nurse, he remembered. He glared at her. He thought he glared at her.
    “You did great.” She put her hand on his arm. He would have shaken it off, but he was too tired. “You’re going to be just fine.” She smiled wide. “You didn’t even vomit.”
    “Great.”
    She pointed at the table. “Are you thirsty?”
    Mason shook his head. “I’m fine.”
    “You should drink something when you can.”
    Mason shook the arm with his IV. “I’ll be fine.”
    She smiled tightly. “I just wanted to warn you, you have visitors. Mary called up. She said they were rude.” She looked past him, out the fifth floor window into a day that looked very blue. “No, ‘odd’, that’s what she said.” The nurse smiled, a real smile again. “Just wanted to give you a heads up. Do you need to use the bathroom first? It’s been a while. You’ve really been out. Actually, I was surprised you were up. Was gonna tell them you were sleeping.” She tilted her head, like a curious dog, an— “I can have them wait if you need to go.”
    Mason shook his head. He had to get out of here. Then he stopped. Yes, he thought.