Chapter 33.2: Cockroaches (End)
“Come on, James!”
Old John stopped taunting, tossed aside the insecticide, and reached toward the hood of the pickup. James scrambled out of the sunroof, jumped onto the hood, and grabbed John’s hand. Using his momentum, he was safely lowered to the ground.
Once James was secured, Old John stepped forward, pulled a lighter from his waist, and precisely ignited the pit.
“BOOM!”
The barbecue feast had officially begun!
Because of the vaporizing fuel, the air around the pit was thick with gasoline particles. The moment the lighter touched the pit, a massive burst of flame shot upward.
Even with flame resistance, the heat and lack of oxygen made the giant cockroach miserable. Like a giant turtle trapped beneath a vehicle, it thrashed and struggled, all six legs kicking furiously inside the pit.
At first, its movements were somewhat restrained. But as the fire intensified—perhaps aided by the boric acid—the cockroach’s body began to dehydrate and writhe in pain. It went completely berserk at the bottom of the pit, jostling the pickup above, making it tremble violently.
“What do we do? It’s like we can’t hold it down…”