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I was looking at the grille of a car, my car, the Hyundai "H" symbol a foot from my face

The car reversed itself and wrenched free of the wreckage that had been the kitchen’s all There was now a rupture near the floor, frayed with tufts of pink insulation and shredded alu I rolled rass outside I coughed, coughed

Coughed

Passed out

I woke up what felt like hours later

Or maybe seconds

The trailer was a fireball behind me I was too wiped out to appreciate that I had avoided death tithin a few minutes, first by a fraction of an inch then by a few smoke-filled breaths

I heard a bark

David? You alive?

That voice again, fro about twenty feet away

Molly the dog was sitting behind the wheel I stared at this for a good solid ain I heard words in the sound

John’s voice

I didn’t think it could get any stupider than the bratwurst thing, but I suspected I was about to find out otherwise I clier’s seat

Molly looked at me, with concern No, not Molly

John looked back atbrown eyes Molly barked, but I heard:

We’re in big fuckin’ trouble, Dave

"No shit, fluffy How did you work the pedals?"

"Woof!"

Listen There are three people still alive fro Jim Sullivan, Jennifer Lopez and Fred Chu I don’t knohole lot else because ether and we’re on thebad, bad, bad is gonna happen

"Wait, wait, wait Why are you a dog again, John?"

"Arrr-oof!"

(Sneeze)

Justin White, or the thing that used to be Justin, he’s got me My body, I mean He stole a vehicle When I’m in my body I can’t see nothin’, but I can hear It’s soh to hold all of us, sootta find it

"Is it an ambulance? The cop told me he stole an ambulance from the hospital So there are actually four still alive froht, if you count Justin"

"Woo--"

No, no, no I said there were three that were alive and Ihive or whatever

"Those things inside him, what are they?"

"Woof!"

Bitch!

This threw me, and I stared in dull confusion for apast le tied up next to one of the trailers

"John?"

"Woof!"

Sorry, Dave My grandpa used to tellthrough a dog ain’t like talking through a sausage Molly is in here with otta co, taking everybody?"

I already knew the answer as soon as the question left as"

"So what’s in Las Vegas?"

"Woof! Arrrrr-oof!! Grrrr"

You know that Bugs Bunny cartoon, where they spill the ink on the floor and then clih it as if it was a hole? I think that’s what the soy sauce is like It’s a hole, it opens you right up Those worms, and the other shit in Robert’s base people into holes And I think if the sauce infects enough people, in one place, it canwhat’s going to coh the hole?"

"Woof"

I don’t know But what coas has all those free buffets"

Molly closed her eyes in frustration I had never seen that expression on a dog before

No Listen There’s a guy named Albert Marconi He does these conferences on the occult, he’s having one there at the Luxor, that’s the big casino shaped like a black pyrao there

"Wait How do you know this?"

Because it’s already happened

"That doesn’t make any--"

"Woof!"