By Janet Turner
They heard shots from the Kalashnikov rifle. More followed. People abandoned the carnival floats. Mothers grabbed children. Partners helped. Terrified crowds raced towards the Farbeline Coach parked across the road. The driver, with his peaked Farbeline cap, ushered them in.
“Women and children only,” he said.
Men kissed families good-bye. The coach sped away from the policed area. On board, women relaxed; children stopped sobbing as the horror of their danger ebbed away.
Reaching the city’s outskirts, the driver stopped the coach, removed his cap, turned to face the passengers, then raised and aimed the re-loaded rifle he had used earlier.
Oh, my God! I shan’t sleep tonight. That is one effective piece of storytelling.
very effective. makes you think.
Incredibly vivid–and horror-inspiring.
Nasty, but then we live in a nasty world.
A very chilling tale.
Wow. Made me shudder. Definitely the most jarring thing I’ve read on this site.