by Hamill, Ike
“I mean diagonally,” Robby said, “between here and…”
Robby never finished his thought. Despite the combined body weight of four people pressing against it, the door swung inward at an amazing speed. The door caught Nate by the shoulder and spun him around. Pete and Robby were thrown away from it as the door plowed through their shoulders and clocked Robby in the head. Romie—sitting on the floor of the bathroom with her back to the door—was the one who stopped it. The door slid her across the tile until her straight left leg impacted the opposite wall.
Romie let loose a surprised scream as her knee folded backward until the underside of her leg hit the floor.
The door slammed shut again as the three men collapsed against it.
Romie moaned and clutched at her knee, coaxing her knee out of its hyperextension.
The bear whuffed and growled, just outside the door.
“Get out of there,” Nate said. He pulled at Romie’s arm to slide her away from the door.
Romie rolled to her side and pulled herself along the floor, dragging her legs.
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 s
aid.
“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.
“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.
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.