Sheila nodded.
“Close your eyes," Ted said.
Sheila’s eyes widened at the suggestion.
“Shhh, just close your eyes and relax," Ted said. “We’re all here. We’re right here.”
Sheila’s eyelids fluttered, fighting her as she tried to comply. She finally managed to get them shut and her shoulders fell almost instantly. A long, slow breath leaked from her lungs as she unclenched her teeth. She took a deep breath, collecting it into her belly and then exhaled through her nose. The panic left her face and Sheila opened her eyes.
“Good," Ted said. “Let’s go.”
Lisa grabbed Sheila’s hand and helped her forward. The others drew in around Sheila and moved ahead towards the lights of Brynn and Nate.
From the direction of Nate and Brynn, three noises came out of the dark in rapid succession: a low, angry howl, a loud mechanical snap, and a shriek. Suddenly the beams of Brynn and Nate scattered in random directions, and then repointed back at the group. Dragging Brynn by the arm, Nate scrambled back past the group, hooking a sliding left towards the stairs leading up to the second floor. Just behind him, the others saw the cause of his alarm—a screaming bobcat with a crossbow arrow lodged in its bleeding shoulder was bounding across the tiles towards them.
“Shit,” Lisa said as she tried to turn.
The bobcat pounced towards group.
Pete’s knife rang like a tiny bell as he pulled it from the sheath on his side. The big man jumped towards Lisa from the other side.
The bobcat hit Lisa’s shoulder and upper back with extended claws. It didn’t take much weight to overbalance Lisa, who was mid-turn. Her feet slid out from under her, and her hand slipped from Sheila’s. The bobcat took her to the ground as it sunk its teeth into the arm of her down coat. Pete swung his knife down towards the torso of the big cat. His knife struck ribs and stuck, not penetrating much beyond the tip of the blade.
Lisa stifled a scream between her clenched teeth.
Ted flashed a look back at Robby, who grabbed Sheila’s coat and dragged her towards the staircase to the upper floor. Sheila flailed and struggled to keep up on her bad leg. Romie looked back to Robby and then forward to Lisa. She watched Ted throw himself across Lisa, grabbing the bobcat around its neck. Pete twisted his knife and brought it back to the ribcage of the bobcat, plunging the blade between its ribs just as Ted wrenched the cat’s head backwards.
The bobcat screamed again, spun in Ted’s grip, and swiped out a heavy paw at Ted’s head.
The paw landed, knocking Ted’s head back. A spray of blood spattered Pete’s face as he reached for the bobcat. Ted rolled backwards and thrust his arms away, trying to free himself from the claws and teeth flailing at his face.
With his second push, Ted screamed a guttural roar. It was immediately echoed by a resonating, echoing growl from the direction of the lower staircase. The bobcat released its claws and bolted. Pete’s knife clattered to the tiles.
Lisa pushed up from under the two men. Pete rolled off of Ted and grabbed his knife. Ted, still dazed, lay on his back. Pete and Lisa grabbed Ted under the armpits and dragged him towards the upper stairs as another loud growl called out.
“I can walk. I can walk,” Ted said as he tried to get his feet under him. Pete helped him flip over as Lisa ran for the stairs. Romie, Robby, and Sheila were nearly at the top.
Pain erupted in Lisa’s right ankle, slowing her gait to a hitching limp. Robby ran back down the stairs and propped up Lisa’s right side. She pulled herself up with the railing and let Robby support her other side. Behind them, Pete and Ted gathered speed as they hit the stairs.
Back toward the lower stairs, the bear grunted and growled again, knocking over a display and shattering glass. From deeper in the store, the bobcat growled and screamed.
Robby got Lisa to the top of the stairs and guided her to the left. Romie and Sheila waved them towards a narrow hallway. Ted and Pete reached them as they rounded the corner and saw Romie and Sheila leading them towards the men’s restroom. Against the women’s room door a deer was stretched out on its side. Deer guts and blood trailed across the floor.
“In here, quick," Romie said. She held open the men’s room door.
The group piled in. Robby helped Lisa around the corner and propped her against the sink. Pete and Ted hurried the door shut and leaned back against it. The door opened to a wall just opposite its swing. Pete braced his shoulder against the door and his feet against the opposite wall.
Ted leaned against the door. He clamped both hands to lacerations on his neck and face. Blood oozed out around his grip.
The men were only leaning against the door for a few seconds before a shuddering jolt hit the door. The bang was followed by pounding. Pete flexed his legs to hold the door shut. Romie leaned in under him and braced the bottom of the door.
“Wait, wait," Romie said. “I hear something.”
In between the pounds, they heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door.
“That’s Nate and Brynn," Romie said. “Let them in.”
They moved out of the way and pulled open the door. Brynn shoved through the gap, followed immediately by Nate, who held his empty crossbow pointed towards the ceiling. Nate turned and helped them press the door shut. Between the four of them, they barely found enough room to all lean on the door.
Sheila broke open a toilet paper dispenser and brought the roll over to Lisa, to help her bandage her scrapes. The cat’s claws and teeth hadn’t penetrated very far through her jacket; she was in good shape. Robby joined the others at the door. Romie pressed her ear against the door.
“You have pliers, Pete?” Robby asked.
“Shhh," Romie said.
Pete nodded and dug through his pockets until he produced a Leatherman—a folded device with a variety of tools and blades. Robby took it from the man and walked to the handicap stall
When he returned, dragging the stall door, the four adults held their positions at the door. Romie waved and pointed. Then, they all heard it.
A large animal exhaled and snorted, making a whuff-chuff noise. Through the door they heard long claws click across the tiles as the bear whuffed again. With a grunt, the bear stopped. They heard it snuffle and sniff, and then wet, smacking sounds carried through the door. Rhythmic slurping and chewing sounds mixed with scraping and more grunts. Pete pointed back over his shoulder and then used his hands to mime antlers.
They understood—the bear was feeding on the deer carcass.
Robby pointed at the door and then whispered. "We can prop this under the handle and against the wall.”
Pete put his finger to his lips and shook his head “no,” and Romie joined him. Robby leaned the door against the wall behind him and shrugged.
“Are you still bleeding?” Robby whispered to Ted.
Ted peeled his hand away from his neck. His palm looked black with with blood in the minimal light. It glistened with fresh blood, and Ted clamped it back to his neck before nodding his head.
“I’ll take your place,” whispered Robby.
Ted pulled his weight away from the door and stepped over the legs of Pete and Nate. He lost his balance and began to wobble before Robby stepped up to steady him. Robby helped him over to the sink next to Lisa. Brynn sat cross-legged under the counter.
Ted’s swayed gently as Sheila turned to him to help him with his wounds. Before Robby returned to the door, Sheila turned to him with anger written across her brow. "I told you guys we shouldn’t have come down here.”
Robby left Sheila to care for the wounded and returned to the door. Pete shifted his position so he could press his ear to the door as he held it shut. He motioned to Robby to come close.
Shoulder-to-shoulder at the door, Pete whispered directly into Robby’s ear. "We have to find a way to lock this door so we can wait for that thing to go away.”
“I think we can prop the stall door between this door and the wall,” whispered Robby.
“I don’t think it will work,” Pete said. “It’s too long to fit.”
“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.