The Annihilation of Foreverland

Still, it was hard to imagine a needle going through his skull, so there had to be other explanations. He didn’t want think about that.
    When everyone was on another topic, Zin leaned over. “We’re going inside the Haystack in two days. Everyone gets a little edgy, but don’t let them worry you. It’s all cool.”
    “So what happens, exactly?”
    “It’s a good time. You won’t remember much, though.”
    “What are you going to be doing?”
    “Uhhhh…” Zin looked around then smiled, mischievously. “Well, I don’t know about the rest of these war mongers, but I’ll be hooking up with my lady. If there’s time, I might join them for some shoot ‘em up, but that ain’t my priority. I promise you.”
    “Girls?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Zin looked around again but no one was paying attention. He mouthed the word with a smile.
    GIRLS.
    They were going to see girls? There had never been one on the island – coming or going from the Haystack – unless they were dropped off on the back side of the island and snuck into the back of the building. Danny thought of the possibilities. Boys were in the Haystack alone for half a day or longer. If there were girls in there, too, then all kinds of things could be happening. So far, the island was a summer camp, but the way Zin was smiling made him wonder if it had some real-life sex education.
    Just keeps getting better.
    The last people in line were grabbing their trays off the dessert table. The last one was all alone, something Danny rarely saw. Everyone travelled in packs. There were no loners on the island, except for the guy at the end of the line – the long-haired kid Danny saw his first day. He moved slowly, carefully. Occasionally, he turned his head listening to something, looking around the cafeteria. Then he slid his tray along the service line.
    “We’re going to be down three men,” Sid was saying. “Parker’s going in with us but he ain’t going to last long. He’ll be smoked, after this. Am I right, Parker?”
    Parker breathed through his mouth, holding an empty spoon over his tray. His food was untouched. He shrugged his shoulders when Sid snapped his fingers.
    “Easy money,” Sid said. “Anyway, Zin’s right about Danny Boy clumping up like a vegetable, so we’ll be short-handed. We’ll have to play some defense.”
    “Who’s the third person?” Zin asked.
    “Oh.” Sid twitched his chin at the loner in line. “Forgot to tell you, we got the freak.”
    There was a collective moan and some pissing to go along with it.
    “Who is he?” Danny asked.
    “That’s Reed,” Zin said. “Guy’s been through, like, 100 rounds or something like that without taking the needle.” Zin shook his head. “One tough dude, man. Someone said his head got all scrambled when he first got here. Ask me, I think he’s just some badass that wants to piss in the Director’s cereal.”
    “Where’s he been?”
    “He goes to the beach on the north end, stands there looking at the water all by himself. No one goes out to the beach, man. The bugs and the wind and no one’s going swimming. There are a thousand better things to do, trust me.”
    “That makes him crazy?”
    “You wait and see, no sane person would do what he’s done. He just doesn’t have any friends and no one wants to get near him, afraid his crazy will rub off. Can’t say I disagree.”
    Reed stopped at the dessert table and held still like someone hit pause on him.
    “See what I mean?” Zin said. “He’s an odd dude named Reed, the kid that bends but don’t break.”
    “What’s that mean?”
    “You’ll see.”
    Reed nodded. He was either agreeing with himself or with the voices Zin said he was hearing. Reed left his tray on the dessert table and grabbed an apple. He left the cafeteria.
    “I rest my case,” Zin said. “Whack-a-do.”
    Reed didn’t walk like he was crazy. Danny didn’t exactly know what a crazy man would walk like, but it didn’t seem like it would be confident, slow and steady. Just because someone doesn’t fly with all the birds doesn’t mean he’s nuts.
    The flock could be going in the wrong direction.

7
    Danny woke up two hours before the sun rose. His eyes opened and refused to shut. He stared at the ceiling. The unknown was terrifying. Everyone else seemed excited. Danny rubbed his forehead, making a tiny circle around the hole. No way they stick a needle in there.
    There was a soft knock.
    Danny pulled the sheet up to his chin. Mr.