John Carpenter's Tales of Science Fiction: CIVILIANS — Duane Swierczynski

It’s a bright sunny day near the Santa Monica Pier. You’re reading an excellent horror novel (the latest Sutter Cane!) and enjoying some downtime. But suddenly… you’re compelled to stand up. So is everyone else around you. And now you’re walking along with them into the ocean. Stop! you want to scream. Body, please — just stop! But your body refuses to listen. Not even when the waves crash over your head, and the water fills your lungs… All over Los Angeles, people are doing inexplicable things. Random strangers come together to commit bizarre acts of violence and self-destruction, from Santa Monica to the 101 to a posh Beverly Hills mall. The city is in chaos, and no one seems to have any answers. Except… Well, except for a crackpot professor on You Tube, a grieving mother hellbent on revenge, a depressed doctor adrift on the freeways, a homeless vet with a pistol, and a naked man with amnesia. Somehow, these random strangers are the only thing standing between us and the complete breakdown of society. And in this war, every casualty is a civilian…