whaddya talkin' about, percy? we got a special relationship here.
where ya been, charlie? bob steps off the chair.
this ain't a resort you know. i got orders stacking up here. in truth there aren't any orders stacking up, but it certainly makes bob feel better to say it.
you best not be smokin' again. not in your condition.
what? i quit two years ago.
it was a gift from my ex-wife, alright? i'm sentimental. i don't wanna forget how much i hate her guts.
goddamn it. where the hell is jeep?
hey, leonardo! jeep freezes, knows he's in trouble he reluctantly turns to see his father standing next to the anderson's broken-down uhual.
the fact that this truck's hood's up mean anything to you? jeep stares at the ground. couldn't be anymore uncomfortable.
whaddya doin'?
jeep, i like charlie. i do. and i think it's real good of you to lend her a helping hand, but she is not your responsibility.
don't walk away from me while i'm talkin' to you!
how long you gonna follow her around like a puppy dog? cleanin' up the messes she makes while she steps out with every guy around here other than you?! jeep stiffens. turns to his father:
you really think she's gonna stick around here after that baby's born and off her hands? jeeps shakes his head, burns.
see that up there? your mother thought i was crazy for wanting to buy this place, middle of nowhere. but i just knew this was what i was supposed to do. told your mom, "just wait." told her when they finally ran the freeway through here like they were plannin' on, this place would be like grand central station.
yeah, i can. and i'm sayin' you're about to make the same damn mistake i made, believing in something that's never gonna happen. or someone.
now get to work on that truck. i wanna have these people on the road by nightfall. bob walks back into the diner. jeep is about to turn back to the garage when he notices something off in the distance. ominous dark clouds line the horizon to the south like a living wall. he shifts his gaze up the highway to the north. same thing. dark clouds are pushing their way over the distant mountains. a storm is coming.
(holding up a silencing
what's wrong with you today?
what the hell do i need that crap for?
i got all the history i can take.
what's your problem now?
you know this was the top-of-the- line model when i bought it.
you shouldn't be watchin' anyways. okay, baby, this is gonna do it. bob gives the tv one final wallop -- whack! and the picture snaps into focus. only it isn't the picture he was expecting. the stark graphic of the emergency broadcasting system and its accompanying hollow tone fill the diner. everybody in the place stops and turns to the tv.
see? clear as day.
it's just one of those test things. that'd be true, except for the words at the bottom of the screen, which read:
in the back past the kitchen. make it fast. kyle hustles passed percy. charlie is standing by the anderson's table, clearing dishes. everybody's eyes are locked on the tv.
hey, percy, give that old radio of yours a shot. maybe they got some news about the tv. percy grabs an old battery powered radio off a kitchen shelf. switches it on. static. he spins the dial until he reaches a clear signal. the same hollow tone of emergency broadcasting. station after station the same thing. the diner is overwhelmed by a chilling chorus of hollow tones. everyone goes very still.
not if it was centered in the desert.
yeah, `cause of the radiation they give off.
well, for cryin' out loud. there's no use in speculating. i'll just call my brother up in needles. he must a heard something.
whaddya talkin' about?
you're shittin' me. kyle shakes his head, sits down at the counter.
relax, mrs. anderson. nothing to get excited about. probably just working on the lines.
(glances over at the
that's not gonna happen. goddamn phone's out.
what happened?
don't move! but gladys not only moves, she scurries right up the fucking
(struggles to cock the
the fuck was that?! what the fuck was that!? across the diner, audrey is pushed back into a booth, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, shivering. her adult facade giving way to that of a frightened child a drop of red hits audrey's cheek, causing her to look up and see gladys's trail of blood dripping from the ceiling. an ungodly horror.
i don't understand how she was still standin' after percy hit `er with that goddamn fryin' pan. broke her fuckin' neck. i saw it. i swear i did.
it's okay, jeep. it's okay. but for jeep it's not okay. he's hurting real bad inside.
there's nothin' to be ashamed of, jeep.
(catching percy by the
the hell you need that for?!
she's cold as a freakin' ice cube. if i hadn't just seen her walk in here, i'd say the old bag's been dead for hours. bob rolls gladys over, revealing her face -- her enlarged mouth filled with dozens of razor sharp baby teeth.
i don't get it. why don't they come closer?
you see anything?
careful. old lady could have some kind of rabid poodle locked up in there. jeep slowly swings the door open and that's when the smell hits them.
jesus. kyle opens the passenger door, looks in. dark, dirty. but nothing unusual.
least now we know where that smell was coming from.
okay, now we're talkin'.
give me the shotgun. kyle hands the shotgun over to bob.
take one step closer and i'll drop you right here. a long beat as michael considers bob. icy cold.
mister, after what we've been through here today, you're lucky we didn't shoot you first and greet you later. now let me see your teeth. michael stares at him blankly.
your teeth goddamn it! lemme see `em! michael offers up a dangerous smile, revealing a not so well kept but definitely normal set of teeth. bob and the others ease slightly.
okay.  suppose you tell us your name then.
sorry about all that, michael. this old lady just went crazy inside my place here. she had these teeth. never seen anything like `em. practically bit a man in half. michael remains silent. doesn't seemed shocked in the least by what he's heard.
so what are you doin' out here? gotta say you don't exactly look like a police officer. even one from l.a. then again, you have to be, right? i mean, who the hell'd be crazy enough to steal a cop car? bob chuckles for a moment. when michael doesn't respond in kind, bob falls silent. anxious. he slowly raises the shotgun again. michael sizes up this raggedy group. his gaze drifts over to the loosely wrapped body in front of the diner. the plastic table cloth flaps wildly in the wind. turning back to bob:
back off, fella.
wait. i don't think that's such a good idea.
he's just a kid --
c'mon, jeep. we gotta go!
jeep, get the flashlights!
alright, rambo. you got us up here. now you mind explaining what the fuck we're fighting? michael is about to answer, when:
yeah. the hell is that? the calliope music grows louder, the melody more distinct. now we recognize the song: santa claus is coming to town. but instead of filling them with cheer, it fills them with dread.
shells! percy tosses him a box of shells. but bob fumbles the catch and the box slides halfway down the sloped roof.
fuck! with the gun still in one hand, bob reaches frantically down for the ammo. stretching.  further.
gun!
(jamming the gun in her
pull me up! percy extends his hook hand, helping bob ascend to safety.
hold on. (approaches michael,
right and yesterday i was the fuckin' easter bunny. you know, fuck this. i don't even believe in god.
how do we know he didn't bring them here himself?
wait a minute, isn't mary supposed to be a vi--
on the house. she looks up at him. smiles weakly. takes a sip.
you hungry?
well i figure just cuz the world's coming to an end, it doesn't mean a man's gotta starve. all i can say is thank heavens they left the gas on. sandra takes another sip of beer. considers it.
just gimme another minute with him, okay? jeep nods, quietly leaves his father at the side of his dead friend.
what the hell are you talkin' about? this is our chance!
we back in business?
jesus christ, what the hell is that boy doin'!
damn it all to hell!
get back! bursting out of the flames, michael marches confidently into the diner. jeep slams the door closed just as the wall of
what the fuck?
what a way to bring a child into the world. she ever tell you his name?
jeep, sooner or later she'll realize you're the best thing that's ever happened to her.
can't a father be wrong sometimes? jeep considers bob with a smile, then comes the sound.  a deep, long, body rumbling tone rising up off the plain, as if emanating from the largest horn ever constructed.
i'm sorry jeep. this shouldn't be happening to you.  jeep rests a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. bob pulls his son close and hugs him with all his might, tears filling his eyes.
who?
don't do it, lady!
sonuvabitch! bob charges at the creature, sub-machine gun blazing. gabriel reacts by instantly unfolding his wings and launching himself into the air. the bullets clawing up the wall behind him. but bob's heroic move has given jeep time to get up and run with the baby for the back of the diner. he thrusts the child into charlie's hands. and without even thinking, she pulls the child protectively to her chest.
leave me, jeep. my place is here, remember?
run. and so jeep, fighting back tears, does what his father says.
sorry.  we're closed. and with one last brush of his thumb, bob's trusty zippo