deep down. down in the trenches

the streets were all torn up and the soggy screening was bubbling out of the trenches like puss from an open wound. the city was a haemophiliac, slowly bleeding to death. 

i drove straight to the Mothership, where i found John Watters and some other tenants packing up in a hurry, like a hundred-year storm was just around the corner. i went in through the back and found an angry Berretta kicking around stuff that belonged to me without very much remorse. he looked extremely frustrated - Hulk-like, almost - and didn't seem to notice me watching him. my high school best friend David Lettieri was watching as well, laughing and exaggerating every last detail of this apparent freak out. i left and found another room under the terrace where Jules and a group of musicians were listening to a song with a killer Motown baseline. one guy was gushing over every last note, declaring the player in question a genius on the spot after being unable to fathom how such a groove could be written in the first place. i just looked at Jules and we laughed silently to ourselves. i had to get to a supper at my parents' but assured everyone i'd be back later. on my way out the door I was ambushed by some strange girl with a bottomless super soaker. she wet all my hair and ruined my mood. i grabbed a hose and sprayed back so hard her body was being flung back under all the pressure. satisfied that i had earned my proper revenge, i got into the car with Amy and my brother and drove to RDP. 

there were giant black bears and huge mutant lions mauling everything in sight - like a mutant zoo had inexplicably exploded and released all its dangerous contents into the city. it felt like the end of the world had arrived in cartoon format, so as not to be taken too seriously. Amy's little Civic finally met its match and came under the grip of a huge 15-foot cat. the wheels were spinning in mid air before the animal finally let go for a second. we managed to drive away but quickly came across one of those giant trenches that couldn't be crossed. i screamed for everyone to get out of the car but my brother never made it. the giant cat pounced and flung him at least 30 feet into the air with one powerful swing of his paw. my brother hit the side of LDV Elementary with a sickening thud and then bounced another two or three times before his body sank into the grass. his eyes were glazed over like those of a dead soldier.