Eleven

Maylee heard the phone ringing from the kitchen and did her best to ignore it.

“The phone's ringing,” said Dalton. He was sitting on the toilet tank with his feet on the seat.

“Thanks for letting us know,” said Maylee, sitting on the sink and twirling her bat one way and then the other. “Why don't you open the door and answer it?”

The phone rang a few more times then stopped. Moaning and scratching came from the door. Brooke was standing with her back to the door, rubbing her temples.

“Just keep quiet, you two,” she said. “All we need to do is wait for the cops.”

“The cops you can't call?” said Maylee.

Brooke flashed her a look. “They have to be coming. What's happening outside is too big. Someone had to have called. They're coming.”

“Not necessarily,” said Dalton, staring at the door. “What if this is happening all over town?”

A realization flashed through Maylee. “Oh shit,” she said. She hopped off the sink to stand. “That's right! Mom could be in trouble. We have to get out of here.”

Brooke sighed. “Maylee, please. You saw those people.”

“I'll knock 'em in the head,” said Maylee, brandishing her bat.

“There's too many,” said Brooke.

“They aren't people, either,” said Dalton.

“Don't say that,” said Brooke. “They're people. There's just something wrong with them. They're sick or something.”

“No,” said Dalton. “This is worse than sick. That guy with no eyes?”

Maylee lowered the bat, thinking. “Yeah. And the arm that ripped off with no blood.”

They all fell silent and listened to the groaning outside the door. Brooke looked like she was thinking. “That old lady. The one that attacked me outside. Her skin felt like a dead person's.”

Dalton wrinkled his nose. “What are you doing touching dead people?”

“Shhh,” said Maylee, her mind turning. “Wait...are you thinking those things are dead?”

Brooke shook her head. “No, that's crazy.”

“It was crazy already,” said Maylee. “Them being dead would just be more crazy to add to the crazy pile.”

“Big pile,” said Dalton.

“Huge,” said Maylee.

“Will you two please keep quiet,” said Brooke. “I'm trying to think.”

Hell you are, thought Maylee. You're just trying to look like you're thinking. We're on our own here.

The phone rang again.

“Dammit,” said Maylee. “That might be Mom. She might be in trouble.”

“We're in trouble, Maylee!” snapped Brooke. “We're trapped in your bathroom with a crazed mob outside the door. Just back off for a second, ok?”

Maylee fumed but shrugged. She took a step back and leaned against the sink.

Brooke frowned and rubbed her arms. “And why the hell is it so cold in here?”

“Heat's broken in the bathroom,” said Dalton, buttoning up his over-shirt.

“Mom's been on the landlord to fix it,” said Maylee. “But he's a lazy dick.”

“Wait...” said Dalton. He hopped off the toilet tank and walked to the bathtub. A large fuzzy mat was in front of it. Dalton knelt down and pulled the mat away, revealing a large rusted grate.

“What's that?” said Brooke.

“Heating grate,” said Dalton.

“So what's your point?” said Brooke.

“I think I could squeeze through.”

Maylee rolled her eyes. “And what, crawl around in the ducts? You're a little dork, but you're not that little.”

“No,” said Dalton. “The duct's loose, remember? That's what Mom's been on the landlord about.”

Maylee thought about that.

“And the basement is unfinished,” said Dalton. “I've been down there when Mom was complaining. The duct is just barely hanging on.”

Maylee frowned. Brooke shook her head.

“Dammit,” said Dalton. “Look.”

Dalton tugged at the grate. It was loose but didn't come free.

“Give me a toothbrush or something,” he said.

“You ain't touching my toothbrush.”

“Then give me mine, geez!”

Maylee shrugged and pulled Dalton's toothbrush from a cup next to the faucet. She handed it to him.

Dalton wedged the toothbrush in one of the slots on the grate. He pulled on it, then again. On the third time the grate popped free.

Brooke raised her eyebrows.

“See,” said Maylee to her. “Lazy dick.”

“Now, watch,” said Dalton. He put one leg into the hole and slammed his foot down. The ductwork creaked and groaned.

He grinned and did it again. A louder, longer creak came.

“Crap,” he said, then slammed his foot down a third time. His leg slipped further down the hole and a loud clatter came from below the bathroom.

“Shit,” said Brooke, rushing over and pulling Dalton up by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” said Dalton, wriggling away.

Brooke knelt and looked down the hole. “What's down there?”

“The basement,” said Maylee, leaning over next to her. “And he's right. If he just kicked the duct off, that hole goes straight down to it.”

“Right,” said Brooke. “I'll go down.”

“What?” laughed Dalton. “You can't fit.”

“I'm the adult,” said Brooke. “I'll take the risk.”

“You're not an adult,” said Maylee.

“I'm the closest thing we've got!” yelled Brooke.

“You won't fit!” yelled Dalton.

“Neither will you,” said Maylee. “I'm skinnier than you are.”

“You have boobs.”

Maylee flashed red. “You little freakin' perv!”

They all stopped yelling. The groans from outside the door had been steadily getting louder.

Brooke listened, then looked at Dalton and Maylee. “We have to be quiet. They can hear us in here and there's no reason to make them any crazier.”

“You...won't...fit,” whispered Dalton.

Brooke looked at the hole, then at Dalton, then at Maylee. Then back at Dalton. “Shit. This is insane. If you got down there, could you get outside?”

Dalton nodded. “The door locks from the inside. I can get out and into the backyard.”

Brooke sighed. “Fine. You get as far away as you can and get an adult.”

“No,” whispered Dalton, looking shocked. “I'm getting the phone so we can call Mom.”

The phone rang again. Maylee sighed and leaned toward Brooke. “We can distract those things. Make noise so he can get the phone then get back to the basement.”

Brooke looked at Maylee and swallowed. She's scared, Maylee realized.

The phone stopped ringing.