Ike Hamill - Extinct

“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?" Romie asked.

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?" Nate asked.

“You have a sledgehammer and a few hours?" Pete asked. “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.

“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.

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.