Ike Hamill - Extinct

Nate took her spot just in time. His legs were longer, and he braced them against the wall with a slight flex. Pete moved his butt to the wall so he’d have something to brace against as he leaned forward and put his hands against the door.

The door jolted. This time they resisted the push and it only opened an inch or two before slamming shut. They heard a long scrape from the top of the door down to the floor and imagined the bear’s strong claws tearing at the door. Another impact shook the door and the hinges rattled as the door slammed back into the frame.

Robby moved his feet back instinctively as they heard the bear sniff at bottom of the door.

A loud boom echoed through the store and the sniffing stopped.

Brynn poked his head around the corner. Romie waved him over and asked him to fetch the crossbow and arrows Nate had dropped in the corner. Pete grunted as another impact almost knocked him off his feet. Brynn helped Romie cock the crossbow and load an arrow and Romie slid closer to the door. She held the crossbow with both hands.

“Let it open a crack,” she said.

“Take the safety off,” Nate said. He reached forward and clicked off the safety.

“Right after the next…” Pete said. He didn’t finish—the bear crashed into the door. Pete grabbed the handle and pulled the door open a crack. Nate held his legs firm to keep the door from swinging in further.

The claws appeared immediately, hooking around the edge of the door and tearing at Nate’s jacket.

From her position on the ground, Romie saw a sea of black fur outside the door. She reached the crossbow forward, putting stock of the weapon right up to the crack, and pulled the trigger. The arrow disappeared into the fur and the bear grunted.

As soon as the claws pulled back, Pete, Robby, and Nate pushed hard and shut the door.

Another boom rang out deep in the store just as the door closed.

“Do another,” Nate said.

“I’m trying,” Romie yelled. Her hands shook and every time she tried to cock the crossbow, she lost her grip on the cocking rope or dropped the weapon. She paused and took a deep breath. Nate grabbed the crossbow from her hands and loaded it. He set it down on the floor next to Romie.

The bear slammed into the door again. Pete tried to open it a crack once more, but Nate wasn’t ready. He held it shut. Romie pulled at the trigger anyway before remembering the safety.

“Next hit,” Pete said.

They waited.

Robby wiped at a line of sweat rolling down his forehead.

A third boom from somewhere in the building sounded farther away than the first two.

Sheila came around the corner and all their headlamps moved to her. Her jacket, once a light turquoise, was smeared with magenta streaks of blood. “Ted’s not responding,” she said. “I think… I think…”

The bear crashed into the door and let loose an angry, frustrated growl. Sheila screamed and ran back around the corner.

“Now!” Pete shouted. He pulled open the door, Nate braced it so it wouldn’t open further, and Romie shot another arrow towards the big bear. She aimed this one higher, hoping to land it just under the ribs and up into the animals vital organs. They heard this arrow land. It sounded like a butcher knife sinking into a watermelon.

The bear grunted and slammed into the door several times in row. Each hit was accompanied by another grunt, and each was harder than the last. Nate gritted his teeth and gripped at his thighs. Pete swayed with each hit and looked like a boxer trying to survive the last ten seconds of the round.

An arrow clattered to the tiles as Romie’s shaking hands fumbled with the crossbow. Brynn grabbed it and tried to help her.

Between hits, Robby swiped his arm across his face. Not all the moisture on his face was sweat. Some of it was tears, leaking from the corners of his eyes.

“Get it loaded,” Pete shouted at Romie.

From around the corner, Sheila screamed again and Lisa started talking, trying to calm her down.

“Give it to me,” Nate said. He leaned forward to reach for the crossbow, just as the bear slammed into the door again. The door caught him in the lower back and he straightened with pain.

“I’ve got it,” Romie said. The quivering left her voice. She snapped the arrow home. The bear hit, Pete pulled the door open, and Romie rose to her knees to point the crossbow directly at the bear’s chest. The door slammed shut and the bear hit it again, even harder.

They heard two more explosions, one right after the other, from the heart of the building.

Pete turned to Robby. His lamp lit up the tracks of tears on Robby’s face. The tears glittered in the wells of Robby’s eyes.

“What’s that noise? Are you hurt?” Pete asked as the bear crashed into the door again.

“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?" Pete asked.

“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?" Pete asked. “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.