13

Beyond the ramp are what might've been. Stragglers from the hobbling horde. One stands and sways itself, back and forth like anxiety is gorging upon its inner intuition. The hyena jogs up to that one in particular and clenches what might've been's thigh. Crunches down and chews. The beast pulls what might've been to the asphalt and steps on its crotch. Rips below its ribs, into the tar of guts. Chews out the random body parts in what might've been's engorged stomach. The giant hyena feeds until what might've been's spine breaks.

The crocuta turns and looks at the time's fed girl. Moves its face from side to side, waving a hand in its mouth with a large band upon the pointer finger. As the hyena swallows, it chews off the ring finger and lets the extremity drop to the asphalt. The hyena cackles. Its stomach makes a wild sloshing, groaning sound. It hunches. All of the chewy morsel body parts drip from its anus like a defecation stew. The hyena turns and cackles and eats its second super entirely. And then a third. After the fourth time through the cycle, nothing comes out. The hyena laughs again and continues walking in the direction like a recollection.

How? How the fuck? Its intestines are dragging behind it. It has a hole in its belly. How can it push anything out let alone digest?... well, fuck. How is it still moving and eating is a better question. And what's wrong with me that it let me pet it?

She walks beside the giant hyena and reaches for it. Feels its fur. She pets its back and it laughs and laughs and laughs. When she stops and drops her hand to her side, it nudges her to pet a bit more. She obliges. The time's fed girl smiles and doesn't understand how this has come about. Maybe she doesn't really care. Because the giant won't attack her. It must be calm to her scent. Something about they way it perceives her oder. Her movements. Her something. And she still stinks like a rotting river with a scent of almond and a horrible yeast infection. Never mind the putrid ooze of an unnatural ass wound.

Maybe I should be dead by now.

They walk. The world is of darkness before them. The long ago past of her steps hold a glow like a growing horizon. The city still burns. The fire is spreading. The fire is like what might've been. It eats everything.

They pass a pillar with an enormous sign atop. She can make out the words. Maranon Mall. The parking lot is an aftermath with all manner of overturned, midnight vehicles and broken glass shadows. She wonders if anyone who ever went in the Maranon ever came out.

The world is silent for the moment.

She can witness large symbols painted on the side of the mall building. She can't interpret them in the darkness.

The hyena laughs and looks at the enormous silhouette of the mall for a moment and chortle drools. It's ambivalent.

A distant explosion in the city behind penetrates the silence. She turns and witnesses a rolling fireball touch the sky and burn out. Probably another gas explosion or something.

A loud banging echoes in the future of her steps.

The sound of a rattling death machine destroys the silence. Gunfire. A screaming woman fills the depth of the space before them. People yell. More gunfire. Lots of gunfire.

The hyena ignores the commotion and stops walking. Sniffs. Cackles and turns around. Looks back beyond the time's fed girl.

She tries to witness what the hyena can see and notices shadows moving in the tenebrous landscape of an empty field and the mall bordering the road. Another hyena makes itself known. Passes the time's fed girl. Walks up to the intestine trail of the giant hyena. Sniffs and flattens its ears and bares its teeth. Drops its head.

Is it paying homage? The giant hyena licks the other's face and all seems well. The smaller hyena jumps around and laughs.

Others break the silence of the night and cackle and submit, one by one, to the looming will of the giant hyena. They dance around the giant like a ballet of monsters in their midnight, gore attire.

A gorilla lurches from the shadows and makes a pathetic noise and bows to the face of the giant. The time's fed girl recognizes the primate as the one from the river bridge. The primate is missing its trigger finger hand.

The giant hyena makes a swift motion of its head and grasps the gorilla's face with its jaws. Crushes its cranium and flings it around until the hairy body separates from the neck. Its body flies into the pack. The ape is viciously devoured, hair and bone and all.

The laughing giant drops the gorilla's head and turns away. Walks toward the gunfire and human screaming. The pack follow. So does she.

The time's fed girl kicks the gorilla's head and it rolls off the road and into the ditch beside the field. It blinks.