Page 63 of Lagoon

“Don’t say that shit.” He sighed.

“Yeah, we’re living in a nightmare, all right.”

“It’s not breakfast,” he said. “Because it’s dusk. The sun’s going down.”

“Right,” she said, sitting down on a couch in her living room area. “You’re probably hungry. I mean, it must take something out of you to make those eggs, right?”

He considered. Where the fuck were they coming from? He wasn’t storing them inside his body, so they must sort of come together when they pushed into his stinger. It was all very weird. “Yeah, I guess I could eat.”

They ate. He was starving, he realized. He was going to have to get more food, and this was something they were going to have to think about—feeding themselves. They couldn’t just live down here, all on their own.

Anyway, it was just as likely that Anderson Scott figured out they were there and blew the whole place up, he thought.

He was lost in thought, and he didn’t say much. Angela seemed hungry too. She ate quickly.

“You still hungry?” he said. “Because I can go back and get more.”

“We’ll go together,” she said.

“No,” he said. “I got this. Seriously. Least I can do after…” He gestured at her swollen belly.

She put a hand on it. “You know, I think I begged for a bunch of these. It felt fucking awesome. I never had sex like that.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “It was… wow.”

Movement.

Outside the window.

Luther stood up.

The doorknob rattled.

He lurched across the room just as the door opened. Hadn’t he fucking locked it? What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d thought about locking it.

Mann staggered inside. “God, I can smell her on the other side of the damned path.”

Luther shoved him back outside. “You stay away from her.”

“Won’t share?” said Mann. “Why do you get one of the women, huh?”

“Because when you had a woman, you fucking killed her,” said Luther.

Mann backed away. “No, that’s true. I guess that’s true.” He staggered again and then he went down on his knees. “Greyson says the women have the guns. That true?”

Angela appeared in the doorway. “You want me to put you out of your misery, Mann?”

“Please,” said Mann in a garbled voice. “Please.”

Angela disappeared into the cabin.

“No, if you make me wander around like this, smelling you, you bitch, I swear I will have my fucking vengeance on you, you cunt!” Mann was getting to his feet, his voice a growl.

Luther shoved him. “Back,” he said.

Angela reappeared in the doorway, with the gun. “Get clear, Thompson,” she said.

Mann turned to face her.

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