It was the old man, and he was coming for them. He movedtowards them, his eyes drawn by their screams. They forgot about Grace, floatingin the pool like a neglected pool toy. They ran through the gate, their wetfeet slapping against the concrete, water dripping from their bodies. Theyslammed to a stop at the elevator, throwing glances over their shoulders as theman emerged from the water, still chewing.
Little Jane pounded on the call button, but the doorsdidn't open.
"Press the button," Caitlyn yelled.
"Oh, God. Oh, God," Jude repeated over andover.
Little Jane had no words. She continued to press thebutton.
The man was out of the pool now. Only ten feet separatedthem from the shambling form. Each step the man took produced a squishingnoise, and water oozed out of his waterlogged shoes, his pants clinging to hislegs like wrapping paper around a present.
"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God," Jude chanted, herhands balled into fists and placed against her mouth. She couldn't tear hereyes away from the man.
Caitlyn pressed herself into a corner, as far away fromthe man as she could get. Little Jane muttered curses under her breath as ifthey had the power to deliver the elevator quicker.
Then the man was there, his prunish hands reaching forJude, who kept muttering "Oh, God," even as his hands grabbed herthroat. The man bent down to Jude's face, and she closed her eyes, as if thatwould make the man go away.
"Leave her alone," Little Jane yelled, but itdidn't matter. The old man opened his mouth, and took a bite out of Jude'scheek. Her chanting was replaced by screaming, and then Little Jane sprung intoaction. She pushed the man backwards, and Caitlyn, inspired by Little Jane'sactions joined her. Together, they fought the old man, his fumbling handsalways reaching out to them. They succeeded in pushing him away from Jude, whoslunk to the ground like a sandbag, her hand to her face, and blood spurtingthrough her fingers.
Behind them, they heard the ding of the elevator.
"As hard as you can," Little Jane yelled, asthey pushed the old man backwards. He stumbled over his squishy shoes and tumbledto the concrete. Without speaking, Caitlyn and Little Jane picked Jude up offthe ground and carried her into the elevator. Jude slumped to the ground again,as Little Jane let her go and pounded on the button to close the door. The oldman was getting to his feet again, and then he was gone as the doors closed.
Tears came to their eyes, with the exception of Jude, whosimply stared straight ahead, her hand held to her face. Jude jumped when theelevator beeped, signaling their arrival. Without speaking, Little Jane andCaitlyn picked Jude up by her spindly arms and hustled her to the door of thepenthouse.
Her father leaped off the couch when he saw them, concernin his eyes. On the TV, monsters roamed the streets, attacking people. LittleJane began to sob. She didn't know what else to do.
"Where's Grace?" her father had asked.
"At the pool. We were attacked," Caitlyn saidbetween ragged sobs.
Her father ran from the penthouse, the door slammingbehind him. "I can't believe this is happening," he said, his voicequavering.
Little Jane sobbed into the crook of her mother's neck asshe wrapped her arms around the girls. They continued to cry, except for Judewho didn't do much of anything.
"Are you ok?" her mom asked.
She nodded her head. "Jude got bit."
Her mother knelt down next to Jude, and pulled her handaway from the wound. "That's a nasty bite. Come on. Let's go get youcleaned up, and then we'll call your parents.
As the afternoon transitioned to evening, the light inthe penthouse turned orange, and Little Jane and Caitlyn clung to each other.It went like that for a while, and then eventually, their embrace loosened, andthen fell away completely. In the back of the penthouse, they saw a glimpse ofJude being ushered into Little Jane's room. They heard the bedroom door closesoftly, and then Little Jane's mother appeared, a worried look on her face.
She squatted in front of them. "What happened?"she asked.
"A man attacked us. He got Grace."
Her mother walked over to the phone and picked it up. Shepressed the button to turn the phone on and then dialed three numbers. Sheglared down at Little Jane and Caitlyn, concern and anger in equal parts on herface, and then her father came in, gasping for air. He slammed the door behindhim and put all his weight on it as he threw the deadbolt. He backed away fromthe door, as if it were about to burst open.
"What is it?" Little Jane asked.
"I... I don't know," he said, a look of terrorand panic on his face. Her father turned to her mother and said, "Is thatthe police?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I can't get through. There'sa recorded message on the phone. It says to wait patiently as all operators arebusy."
"Shit." Her father ran his hand through his redhair, and then scrubbed it through the red beard on his jaw. "Shit. I'vegot to call their parents. Something bad is going on."
"What did you see up there?" her mother asked.
Her father said nothing as he walked into the living roomand grabbed his phone from the couch. "I can't believe this," he saidas he began to scroll through his list of contacts on his phone. Caitlyn andLittle Jane sat through it all, letting the grown-ups sort it out.
Her father looked at the ceiling as the call wentthrough. "Hey, Pete. We have a situation here. Have you seen thenews?" There was a pause and then her father said, "Yeah, well Gracewas just attacked by one of those things, and now she's missing."
"What?" they heard a voice yell.
"She was attacked, and now she's missing. We're onthe line with the police now. But you
