The men stood over a body in the factory. Anthony seemed shocked by the appearance of his man, enough so that he paid little attention to the hundreds of ghosts performing work in a parody of life.

As he entered the factory, Brock saw the ghosts stop their activity and stare to the south as if waiting for something.

His heart raced in his chest as Brock realized the ghosts were waiting for the explosion. Everyone had died in this factory. Stumbling on something unseen, Brock recovered and ran to the men.

“We’ve got to go,” he shouted as he took hold of Paulie and looked at Anthony.

The Effect man kneeled at the side of the man lying on the floor. Anthony was crying as he turned Chris on to his side and they saw the blank expression on the young man’s face. Amidst the blood were prints from a boot. Someone had killed him, but for now Brock did not care.

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He pulled at Anthony and the man looked up at Brock, then said one word. “Go.” He had given up the fight. The world he once knew was gone, replaced by ghosts and dead men who would have been alive had he simply said no to tonight’s work. The fun was gone from his world. Anthony’s eyes said more than he could ever explain.

Without deliberating the move, Brock pulled Paulie from the building, the cameraman in shock and unable to help more than to follow Brock’s lead. At the ATV Brock pulled the camera from Paulie’s hands and threw it to the ground, then put his friend on the machine and climbed on behind the smaller man.

Reaching around Paulie, he started the ATV, then hit the gas and raced south, hoping it was not too late to survive.

In the factory, Anthony picked Chris up in his arms and walked to the door. The steel door he had wondered about a million years ago was only a little way away. What better place to die?