After cruising along the silent road for a good chunk of the midnight hour, they finally were turning into the parking lot. Mike was the last to enter the parking lot from the road because he had been previously zig zagging across the lanes. It was quiet, and Atticus could only see one car, which looked oddly familiar. The sound of bike chains cranking along faded as everyone slowed down, and stopped as everyone piled their bikes into a heap next to the entrance - a pair of sliding doors.
Mike entered the store first and everyone followed as he led the way through the aisles. Zach approached Atticus and gripped onto his arm. Atticus could tell he was feeling the eeriness too, and that sense only heightened when they turned into the soda aisle and saw a man. He had his back to them, and he didn’t move. He was holding something, but what was it?
"Damn it!” Mike said from down the aisle. Along the rows of 2-liters, he was staring at and empty, cleared out section. A red Sold Out sign jumped at Atticus. “What now?” Apparently, Alex had a plan. In a matter of seconds, several things happened. One, Alex set his hand on the man’s shoulder. Two, the man turned around and bit down on Alex’s hand and revealed that what he had been holding was a can of EDGE, and three, Atticus made a horrible realization: that man was his father.
Time sped up again and Alex stumbled backwards and screamed. Atticus saw a waterfall of blood streaming from Alex’s hand, and finally saw the damage. Alex’s entire middle finger had been bitten off by the mysterious man - no - his father. That’s why the car looked familiar! He thought.
He was brought back from his daydream when Alex scrambled around, screaming “Shit!” over and over again in pain and ran into Atticus, creating a two person domino effect. Alex dampened Atticus’s shirt with blood and tears as he crawled off of him and curled up several feet away, cradling his 4-fingered hand.
Atticus’s father staggered towards Atticus who was busy with wiping the blood off of his shirt, still on the ground. “Dad,” Atticus said, looking up and seeing his father absent-mindedly wandering towards him. Atticus was skeptical to call him his father. He had bitten off Alex’s finger!
Atticus’s “father” started to swipe his arms instead of using his mouth as he tripped over Atticus. They wrestled, Atticus struggling to keep his father’s now foaming mouth, arm, anything away from his body. Atticus could barely see due to his father trying to claw at his face, but he heard Mike yell that he would be right back, and he also heard the footsteps going down the aisle that followed.
The weight of Atticus’s father was lifted and he could see James and Zach restraining him by holding his arms and locking them behind his back. Atticus got up and continued to wipe away the blood which had now stained his hands, and Mike reappeared at the end of the aisle. He was holding a clear bottle with a red label over his head.
Mike started to run. He sprinted down the aisle, yelling “Take this!” as he reached the snarling man and brought down what he was holding. There was a resounding smash as a spray of clear liquid coated James and Zach. They both let go of Atticus’s unconscious father (who fell to the ground with a sound that sounded like a mail sack thud) and James cried out his protest; “SERIOUSLY!?”
“Talk about a Smirnoff Smackdown!” Mike said, grinning. He looked at the neck of the bottle, which was still in his hand and threw it at the ground, creating another satisfying smash that seemed to please Mike. James started to walk towards Alex, who was stilled curled up, but he was quiet. He seemed unconscious.
“How do you know what Smirnoff is?” James questioned with an aggravated tone. Mike answered by putting his index finger vertically in front of his lips, to signal Shhh… He was still smiling.
“That’s your first question?” Zach said, nearly screaming. “We were just attacked by Atticus’s dad, we’re covered in liquids that kids our age shouldn’t be playing around with, and Alex is over there looking like a burst ketchup packet!” Atticus ignored him and walked over to the quiet Alex.
He shook Alex vigorously and didn’t get a response.
“Alex!” Atticus said as he shook him again. Alex didn’t respond.
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