Carson pointed to the smoldering cigarette. 'You gonna finish that? It'd be a shame to let it go to waste.'
Kilker didn't appear to have heard him. Mumbling and cursing, he walked toward the elevator and pressed the up button.
'Dude, where are you going? You can't just leave. We're on duty.'
'Fuck this,' Kilker hissed. 'They can't get in and we can't get out. So why does it matter? What are we guarding against?'
'You never know, bro. They could figure out a way in. Get their hands on a bomb or something.'
'We should be so lucky.'
Carson picked up the still-lit butt, took a drag, and walked over to his friend.
'Seriously, Kilker. What is your malfunction? You're acting weird, man.'
'Do you know what today is?'
Carson scratched his head. 'Tuesday, I think. To be honest, dude, I don't really keep track anymore. Seems kind of pointless, you know?'
'Today would have been my father's birthday.'
'Oh. Well, when we get off, we'll do a few shots of tequila in his honor. How does that sound?'
Kilker ignored him. His eyes were far away. In the silence, the gears hummed inside the elevator shaft. When he spoke again, his voice seemed far away.
'Did you get along with your father, Carson?'
'I did-until about tenth grade when he figured out that I was gay. After that, we weren't really on speaking terms, you know? My mom wigged out too. She always wanted a grandbaby. Guess she didn't think I could adopt.'
'I loved my dad. He never judged me. Supported me in everything I ever did.'
The elevator bell dinged, and the doors opened. Kilker stepped inside and they started to slide shut again.
Carson stuck a booted foot out and stopped them.
'Look, dog, I know you've been depressed lately, but what are you doing?
You gonna quit or something?'
'I just need some air. Come with me?'
The pleading tone in his voice gave Carson goose bumps.
'Okay, man, but we can't be gone long. Five minutes, no more. Deal? I don't want Bates or Forrest kicking our ass.'
Kilker smiled. 'Deal.'
Carson picked up his MAC-11 and then stepped in alongside Kilker. The doors hissed shut. Kilker pressed a button on the control panel, and the elevator began to rise.
'Yo, you hit the wrong button. That's Mr. Ramsey's floor. We can't go up there.'
'We're not going to see, Mr. Ramsey,' Kilker told him quietly. 'We're going to get off the elevator and go to the fire escape.'
'For what? To get in even deeper shit?'
'No. Trust me.'
'Dude, you're whacked.'
Kilker ignored the comment. 'I never got the chance to say goodbye to my dad. Before those things took over the city, during the riots, while the phones still worked, I called home. I just wanted to talk to him, tell him that I loved him and that I was proud of him. So I called, and he answered.'
'And you got to tell him? That's good, man. More than a lot of folks got.'
Kilker shook his head. 'No, I didn't get to tell him.'
'But you said he answered?'
'He did-but it wasn't him.' The young man's face clouded and he blinked back tears. 'It wasn't him. It was one of those fucking things! Living inside of him.'
'Shit.'
'Yeah. I thought it was him at first, even though he sounded odd. But then it started saying these things- horrible things. And I knew.'
'That's fucked up, dude. I'm sorry.'
Kilker sniffed, wiping away tears.
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. He stepped out.
'Kilker.' Carson grabbed his arm. 'Where are we going?'
'I told you,' Kilker whispered, 'the stairwell. You can get to the roof from the fire escape.'
