Extinct (45 page)

“Ready,” Romie yelled.

They executed another shot to the bear.

“I don’t think it’s even hurting him," Romie said as she loaded another arrow.

“I can’t hold the door much longer,” Nate said.

“You have to,” Pete said. He turned back to Robby. “What are those explosions?”

Robby shook his head. “Don’t know,” he said. He choked out the words.

“My legs are giving out,” Nate said. “Somebody needs to take over for me.”

“Just hold on, Nate. Romie—aim for the face. Maybe a shot in the face will scare it away,” Pete said.

Romie pushed up against the wall and Brynn slipped under her shoulder so she could stand.

“Ready,” she said.

When Pete opened the door she aimed her headlamp through the crack and aimed the arrow at the glitter of bear’s white teeth. Pete slammed the door immediately. Romie couldn’t see the arrow find its mark.

Another boom rang out; the closest one yet.

Robby pulled back from the door and shrank against the wall. He brought his hands up and clutched them to his face.

“Robby,” Pete said. “Robby, get back here.”

Robby slumped to the floor and wrapped his arms around his shins, pulling his knees to his chest.

“Lisa! Sheila! Get over here. We need more bodies on this door,” Nate yelled.

They heard Lisa say a few more words to Sheila and then Lisa limped around the corner.

“How can I help?” she asked.

“Get over here and take Robby’s position. Robby, get the fuck out of the way,” Pete said.

Robby didn’t move from his place in the corner, but Lisa stepped over Nate and found room to lean against the door anyway.

“You ready to shoot again?” Pete asked Romie.

“Any time," Romie said.

“Next hit,” Pete said.

They waited.

“Maybe it’s gone,” Nate said.

“What do you mean?” asked Pete.

“When was the last time it hit? It’s been a little while since she shot it in the face,” Nate said.

“Oh,” Pete said.

“What do we do?” Lisa whispered.

“Open the door a few inches," Romie said. “Give me another shot at it.”

“What if it’s just waiting?” asked Pete. “Pull yourself together, Robby.” Pete nudged the young man with the edge of his boot.

“Leave him alone,” Nate said. “We have to figure a way out of here. Brynn, Romie, see if you can slide the door over here.” He motioned to the stall door leaning against the wall.

Romie wasn’t much help, but Brynn managed to wrestle the door until it was within arm’s length of Nate. Careful not to move his weight away from the door, Nate rotated the door until he could hold its length at a diagonal to the space between the door handle and the corner where the opposite wall met the floor.
 

“I think this will work,” Nate said to Pete. “We can wedge it in like this.”

“Yeah and if the door doesn’t fit then the bear will barge straight in while we’re fucking around,” Pete said.
 

“It’s about two good hits from barging in anyway,” Nate said. “Come on, let’s just see if it fits.”

“Fine,” Pete said. “Lisa, see if you can get Robby out of here.”

Lisa relinquished her position against the door after some hesitation. Robby didn’t react when she asked him to get up, but he didn’t fight her as she pulled him to his feet. He buried his head in his hands as she led him away. She led him over near the sinks where Robby leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor. He put his hand inside his jacket and gripped the mirror he’d taken from the Volvo.

As they moved away, Nate slid the stall door into position. When he and Pete were both satisfied it might work, the two men inched closer to the corner. The door had about a half-inch of freedom before it hit the heavy steel door handle. The other end sat firmly against the tile floor and wall. Pete leaned over Nate and tugged at the door. It barely moved before the stall door stopped it cold.

“Don’t step on it, we don’t know if the metal will bend,” Pete said. He stretched his leg over and climbed over the door. He reached back and helped Nate make the climb.
 

“Will it hold?” asked Romie.
 

Another boom rang out from the other side of the bathroom door. This one echoed down the hallway.

Pete raised a finger to his lips and warned Romie, Nate, and Brynn to be quiet. He motioned for Romie to cover the door with the crossbow and waved Nate around the corner.
 

Sheila held pressure against Ted’s neck wounds, and held him up on the counter to prevent him from collapsing. Lisa crouched down next to Robby with her arm around the young man.

“Can we get out through the drop ceiling?” whispered Nate.

“I doubt it,” Pete whispered back. “Fire code. The walls will go all the way up.”

“What if we bust through the wall?” asked Nate.

“You have a sledgehammer and a few hours?” asked Pete. “Let’s face it—the only way out is through the bear.”

“It might not even be out there anymore,” Nate said. “At least when it was banging on the door we knew where it was.”

They locked eyes when they heard an explosion ring out on the other side of the bathroom door. They turned to see Romie lifting the crossbow to aim it at the door.

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“Wait!” Robby yelled. His hands fell away, revealing a face full of surprise and hope.

Romie’s ears heard the word, but her fingers were already on autopilot. She pulled the trigger on the crossbow and the arrow struck the door right at the frame. It rebounded and continued its upward, sticking into the ceiling tile at a steep angle. It hung for a second, just barely penetrating the soft tile, and then it fell, flipping in the air and bouncing off Robby’s jacket as he approached the door.

He didn’t reach for the handle, but Nate reached out and grabbed his shoulder in case he should try anything crazy.

Robby turned his head and listened for a second before he yelled out again.

“Brad?” Robby called.

Puzzled glances spread through the group.

“Robby, are you feeling…” Pete began.

Robby cut him off with a raised hand.

They all heard the response from the other side of the door.

“Hello?” Brad called.

Robby smiled and wiped a tear from his eyes.

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The men swung the door up and hustled Brad in quickly. They tried to close it, but Brad held it open, ushering Christine inside. She moved slowly, raising her feet like she was trying not to step in mud. Their boots left bloody footprints on the tile. Christine smiled when she saw Pete, but her smile disappeared when she witnessed the exasperated look on Romie’s face.
 

As soon as they closed the door, Brad wasted no time trying to get everyone moving again.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Brad said. “There are wild animals everywhere. We’ve run into moose, a bear, and a pack of coyotes. I’ve got a shotgun and plenty of rounds. One of you guys can take my pistol. She won’t touch it.”

From around the corner, Sheila’s voice interrupted—“No. Get away. I’ve got this.”

“Fine,” Lisa said. She approached the others. “Ted’s dead. Sheila’s still trying to stop his bleeding. She’s lost it.”

“Oh fuck,” Pete said.

“Ted?” Brad asked.

“He got hit by a bobcat,” Pete said, shaking his head.

“Brad’s right,” Robby said. “Time to go.”

Nate reached forward and took the gun that Brad held out. “Brynn,” he said, “you’re with me. We’ll bring up the rear. Brad, you lead with the shotgun. Romie, you cover the sides with the crossbow.”

Pete pulled Sheila away from Ted’s body. When she let go, the man slumped and then slid slowly to the floor of the restroom. His mouth hung open and his face pressed against the tile. Robby returned, slipped Ted’s coat off, and covered Ted’s face.

Brad led the way out of the restroom and the group passed the bloody bear. It lay near the deer carcass, on its back, with arrows protruding from its chest and belly. The bear’s face was gone, wiped away by a shotgun blast. Robby leaned close on the way by to get a look at the brains leaking from the bear’s skull.

As they turned the corner, Brad swept the shotgun over the walkway, from the wall to the balcony. He brought his headlamp back to the center and stopped.
 

“What’s the holdup?” Nate called from the back.

“What is it?” Lisa whispered over Brad’s shoulder.

In the distance, past the throw of his light, green eyes glowed in the dark. They stared at the group, unblinking.

“I don’t know,” Brad said.
 

“Shoot it," Lisa said.

“Closer. I have to get closer,” Brad said. He started forward again, slowly, not taking his eyes from the shining orbs. After the group moved about ten feet, the eyes disappeared for several seconds and then lit up again, farther away. The animal moved just when the light might reveal its form. Brad moved past the stairway and the edge of the balcony. Straight ahead, the hall led to the second floor of the hunting department and the stairs leading out. To his right, the floor opened up to a housewares section.

When he’d moved another ten feet, the eyes retreated again.

Nate and Brynn moved past the staircase.

Nate faced the rear, swinging his gun between the stairs, the walkway to the bathroom, and housewares. “What’s going on up there?” he called back over his shoulder as Brad paused again.

“It keeps moving farther away,” Brad whispered. Pete relayed the quiet message back to Nate.

“This is a trap!” Nate yelled. He pressed his back against Pete and called to the group. "Circle up everyone. It’s leading us into a trap.”

Sheila panicked and tried to bolt towards housewares. Pete grabbed her jacket and reeled her back in. The group pulled together, forming a rough circle with their weapons pointing out.
 

Nate called out orders. "Against the wall. Let’s move to a defensible position. Let them come to us.”

They didn’t have time to move.

As an iron skillet banged to the floor, Pete’s headlamp turned towards housewares, revealing another set of green eyes. A third set appeared on the stairs, and a fourth popped around the corner behind the group.

“Take any clean shot,” Nate said.

He needn’t have bothered to speak. Romie took a shot at the eyes coming up the stairs as soon as the form of the wolf crossed into her light. Pete grabbed Brad’s arm and pulled the shotgun over to the wolf in housewares. Brad fired a blast at the beast’s head, shutting off the glowing eyes with one round. Nate waited for his wolf to leap before he triggered his pistol. He put one slug in the wolf’s chest and one between its eyes.

Sheila shrieked at each explosion. She shrank away from Pete and fell to her knees. Brad looked down at Sheila and followed her pointing finger. The wolf up ahead was no longer retreating. The eyes were approaching rapidly, and they multiplied.

Brad swung his shotgun around and fired into the dark at the glowing eyes. They kept coming. He pumped the shotgun. Before they’d left the bathroom, he’d loaded five shells in the gun. Behind him, Christine held out five more. He hoped for time to use them. Brad waited for the animals to get closer.

The eyes slowed and spread out as they passed into the edge of the light. He counted four sets.

“I’m going to need help up here,” Brad said.

He aimed at the animal in the middle and pulled the trigger. The thing seemed to sense the shot and it darted left before he’d even felt the recoil. The eyes kept coming. Brad pumped again and figured he was down to two shots.

The wolf circling to the right picked up speed. Brad turned and shot at it. He didn’t kill it, but its front leg buckled and it skidded along the floor for a few feet before it picked itself back up into a three-legged limp. The others darted left, running to flank the group. He aimed with more speed than care and pulled the trigger again. He’d forgotten to pump. The chamber was empty. The closest wolf leapt and passed so close to Brad that its hair brushed against his jacketed arm. The fur made a whispering sound against his jacket before Sheila’s scream buried the gentle sound. She still knelt on the floor. The wolf hit her in the chest as she tried to raise her arms to block the attack.
 

Brad pumped his shotgun as Nate turned and shot the wolf as it tore into Sheila. Brad turned his gun on the next wolf, which was leaping towards Robby. His shot tore the bottom jaw from the wolf’s face. Robby spun and let the thing sail by. It hit the floor with its front legs splayed and it thrashed its back legs until it ran into the wall.

“Give me one,” Brad said to Christine as he pulled back the action bar. He loaded the shell into the chamber, pushed forward, and fired, taking down the next wolf. When he reached back, Christine slapped another shell into his hand. He glanced back to make sure Nate had control of the wolf attacking Sheila, and then he used his next shot to dispatch the limping wolf off to the right. With the next shell, he took care of the wolf with the missing lower jaw. He scanned his light frantically as he loaded five more shells into his gun.
 

Behind him, Sheila stopped screaming, but breathed with a loud, gurgling sound. Pete and Lisa crouched beside her. Brad continued to scan the darkness as he listened to the conversation behind him.

“The bullet must have glanced off the wolf’s bone,” Pete said. “It went right through her chest.”

“There’s nothing we can do for her,” Nate said. “Her lung is punctured, and the wolf bit into her shoulder.”

“We’re not leaving her,” Lisa said.

“Nobody said we’re leaving her,” Nate said. “Just put her arm over your shoulder, Pete, and try to put pressure on the wound.”

“We have to move before they respawn,” Robby said.

His statement made Brad turn around and face Robby. “You think they’ll do that?”

“What’s ‘respawn’ mean?” asked Lisa.

“You have reason to think they’ll do that?” Brad asked again.