spot, either. So it's too dangerous."
"Maybe they aren't in the parking garage," said Jack. "Maybe the only reason they're around the building is because they know we're in here."
"That's giving ants a lot of credit, don't you think?" asked Abigail.
"Ants that big deserve a little credit."
"Either way, let's at least take a couple of minutes and see what we're up against."
The elevator doors opened, and Mr. Kamerman stepped out. "What's the problem?" he asked. "What happened to Trevor?"
"I'll tell you on the way back up," said Abigail, moving past him into the elevator. Moni and Jack followed. Mr. Kamerman put a hand over his mouth as he saw the ants, and hurriedly stepped back into the elevator. Abigail pressed the button for the second floor.
"Trevor's dead," Abigail said. "The ants killed him. They got Cindy from marketing, too, and who knows how many others. And they're all over the outside of the building."
"He's _dead_? Are you kidding me?"
The doors to the second floor opened. "We need to see if anybody else is in the building," said Abigail, stepping out of the elevator.
The four of them called out loudly for about thirty seconds, but there was no response. They returned to the elevator and headed up for the third floor.
Jack looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think they can chew through elevator cables?"
"Jesus, Jack, don't even say something like that," said Moni, looking nervously at the ceiling herself. It probably wasn't out of the question. They should have taken the stairs.
The third floor was equally vacant, or at least nobody responded to their calls.
"Are you positive he's dead?" asked Mr. Kamerman, as they returned to the elevator.
"He's dead, trust me," said Abigail, pressing the fourth floor button. "We wouldn't have left him behind otherwise."
"Oh, that poor boy. Didn't he have children?"
"No."
"Still, this is horrible. What are we going to do?"
The elevator doors opened, much to Moni's relief. "First," said Abigail, "we're going to see how bad the situation really is. Then we'll take it from there."
She swiped her ID card in the reader, and then opened the wooden door. The four of them walked through the doorway, hurrying toward the large window that took up much of the wall on the west side.
"Oh, we are _so_ dead," whispered Jack.
Actually, Moni had been relieved. It was bad out there, no question about it, but if they padded themselves up, found something to keep the ants at bay, and ran like maniacs, they'd be able to make it from the building to the second or third floor of the parking garage. Yes, there were probably tens of thousands of ants out there, but while they were all over the lawn, their numbers didn't seem to be stretching out much further than that. Maybe they _were_ going where the food was.
"Here's a question," said Jack. "Why aren't they crawling on the side of the building?"
"They must be too big," said Abigail. "At least that's something we have in our favor."
As if to prove her wrong, a single ant crawled onto the window from above.
This one was the size of a large rat.
----
*-CHAPTER SIXTEEN-*
Another gunshot.
Gary Youngman cried out as the bullet tore through his left thigh. Slash released his grip on the teenager and Gary dropped to the floor of the convenience store, clutching his bleeding leg.
Dustin wanted to make a move to escape from these psychos, but it was still too dangerous. At the very least, though, they all had to get away from the ants _and_ the panicked police gunfire.
"We have to go out the back way," he said, as ants rapidly poured in through the broken glass door. "There may be fewer cops there!"
Dustin half-expected to hear some sort of enraged comment about how he wasn't the one in charge here, but Hack immediately turned and dragged Louise toward the back of the store, as she desperately stretched her arms out toward her fallen son. Slash looked at the boy, at the broken door, and at the boy
"Maybe they aren't in the parking garage," said Jack. "Maybe the only reason they're around the building is because they know we're in here."
"That's giving ants a lot of credit, don't you think?" asked Abigail.
"Ants that big deserve a little credit."
"Either way, let's at least take a couple of minutes and see what we're up against."
The elevator doors opened, and Mr. Kamerman stepped out. "What's the problem?" he asked. "What happened to Trevor?"
"I'll tell you on the way back up," said Abigail, moving past him into the elevator. Moni and Jack followed. Mr. Kamerman put a hand over his mouth as he saw the ants, and hurriedly stepped back into the elevator. Abigail pressed the button for the second floor.
"Trevor's dead," Abigail said. "The ants killed him. They got Cindy from marketing, too, and who knows how many others. And they're all over the outside of the building."
"He's _dead_? Are you kidding me?"
The doors to the second floor opened. "We need to see if anybody else is in the building," said Abigail, stepping out of the elevator.
The four of them called out loudly for about thirty seconds, but there was no response. They returned to the elevator and headed up for the third floor.
Jack looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think they can chew through elevator cables?"
"Jesus, Jack, don't even say something like that," said Moni, looking nervously at the ceiling herself. It probably wasn't out of the question. They should have taken the stairs.
The third floor was equally vacant, or at least nobody responded to their calls.
"Are you positive he's dead?" asked Mr. Kamerman, as they returned to the elevator.
"He's dead, trust me," said Abigail, pressing the fourth floor button. "We wouldn't have left him behind otherwise."
"Oh, that poor boy. Didn't he have children?"
"No."
"Still, this is horrible. What are we going to do?"
The elevator doors opened, much to Moni's relief. "First," said Abigail, "we're going to see how bad the situation really is. Then we'll take it from there."
She swiped her ID card in the reader, and then opened the wooden door. The four of them walked through the doorway, hurrying toward the large window that took up much of the wall on the west side.
"Oh, we are _so_ dead," whispered Jack.
Actually, Moni had been relieved. It was bad out there, no question about it, but if they padded themselves up, found something to keep the ants at bay, and ran like maniacs, they'd be able to make it from the building to the second or third floor of the parking garage. Yes, there were probably tens of thousands of ants out there, but while they were all over the lawn, their numbers didn't seem to be stretching out much further than that. Maybe they _were_ going where the food was.
"Here's a question," said Jack. "Why aren't they crawling on the side of the building?"
"They must be too big," said Abigail. "At least that's something we have in our favor."
As if to prove her wrong, a single ant crawled onto the window from above.
This one was the size of a large rat.
----
*-CHAPTER SIXTEEN-*
Another gunshot.
Gary Youngman cried out as the bullet tore through his left thigh. Slash released his grip on the teenager and Gary dropped to the floor of the convenience store, clutching his bleeding leg.
Dustin wanted to make a move to escape from these psychos, but it was still too dangerous. At the very least, though, they all had to get away from the ants _and_ the panicked police gunfire.
"We have to go out the back way," he said, as ants rapidly poured in through the broken glass door. "There may be fewer cops there!"
Dustin half-expected to hear some sort of enraged comment about how he wasn't the one in charge here, but Hack immediately turned and dragged Louise toward the back of the store, as she desperately stretched her arms out toward her fallen son. Slash looked at the boy, at the broken door, and at the boy
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